Diploma of Mental Health Online
If you have experience in community services or health and would like to specialise in the mental health sector, this nationally recognised qualification is the online course for you.
Who is this online course for?
The CHC53315 Diploma of Mental Health Online would suit those who are looking to develop specialist skills to work with clients who face challenges with their mental health. It would also appeal to those who have some work or volunteer experience in community services or health and want to branch out into mental health work.
What will you learn online?
You will learn how to offer support to people from varied backgrounds and how to assist those who may have mental health, alcohol and drug issues. There will be advice on skills and techniques which you can implement to promote recovery and well-being. You will further develop your skills on health and safety and decision making.
Possible Career Opportunities
- Community Rehabilitation and Support Worker: This involves working with clients to develop skills for independent living and community participation.
- Community Support Worker: Duties can include providing individual and group support to clients with disabilities, mental health issues and the aged.
- Mental Health Intake Officer: Responsibilities can include assessing clients with mental health issues and making referrals to the most appropriate services.
- Mental Health Outreach Worker: Duties can include working with clients in the community to develop support plans and identifying services that will assist them.
- Mental Health Rehabilitation Support Worker: Duties can include assisting clients with disabilities to develop life skills and participate in the community.
Available Online Units
Core Units
CHCADV005: Provide systems advocacy services
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide systems advocacy services.
It applies to workers who work within networks of organisations, or as part of an advocacy organisation.
They work autonomously and exercise judgement in selecting strategies to achieve desired outcomes.
Students will be required to:
- Develop and facilitate system advocacy: This involves identifying community needs, issues and concerns that can be addressed through system advocacy, developing system advocacy proposals in consultation with relevant stakeholders facilitating the development of partnerships and coalitions to progress system advocacy proposals, and advocating for system change to meet community needs.
- Promote system advocacy: this involves developing and implementing strategies to raise awareness of system advocacy among key stakeholders, using a range of strategies and media to promote system advocacy, and evaluating the effectiveness of promotional activities.
- Support individuals to engage in system advocacy: This involves Identifying and providing information and resources to individuals who want to engage in system advocacy, providing advice and support to individuals who want to engage in system advocacy, and advocating on behalf of an individual as required.
- Monitor and review system advocacy: This involves monitoring the progress of system advocacy in consultation with relevant stakeholders, evaluating system advocacy in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and making recommendations for improvement to system advocacy in consultation with relevant stakeholders.
CHCDIV001: Work with Diverse People
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work effectively with a range of diverse individuals, families, carers and/or communities.
It applies to workers who interface with diverse people as part of their job role. It includes interacting with people from diverse backgrounds in a range of contexts. It also includes having an awareness of own personal values, attitudes and beliefs and how these may impact working with diverse people.
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
- Engage diverse individuals, families, carers and/or communities in a way that meets their needs promote their strengths and are culturally safe.
- Communicate with diverse individuals, families, carers and/or communities using methods and language that are appropriate to their needs.
- Promote the inclusion and participation of diverse individuals, families, carers and/or communities.
- Use effective interpersonal skills to support the development of respectful relationships with diverse individuals, families, carers and/or communities.
- Reflect on personal values, attitudes and beliefs and how they may impact working with diverse individuals
It applies to workers across a range of community work and services contexts who take responsibility for their own outputs within an established framework. They work under broad supervision and guidance from others.
CHCDIV002: Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Cultural Safety
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety within own job role.
This unit applies to workers across a broad range of community service contexts who work collaboratively with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. They may work with Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander individuals, families or communities in a direct service capacity or in an indirect service capacity.
Workers at this level maintain cultural safety by ensuring their own attitudes, knowledge, behaviours, and values do not judgementally affect service provision.
They work to ensure that the service environment and delivery are culturally safe for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander clients. This includes promoting the use of interpreters and other strategies to facilitate communication.
Workers may be required to provide leadership and guidance to others in promoting Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety.
This unit applies to workers across a range of community work and services contexts who take responsibility for their own outputs within an established framework. They work under broad supervision and guidance from others.
CHCMHS002: Establish self-directed recovery relationships
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to establish self-directed recovery relationships with people who experience mental health issues. It will enable students to understand their own role in recovery and how to work collaboratively with individuals to support their journey towards wellness.
This unit is important because it helps people with mental health issues to establish and work towards their own goals for recovery. It teaches students about their role in supporting others on their journey to wellness and gives them the tools they need to collaborate effectively with individuals.
Upon successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
- Understand their own role in recovery
- Understand the principles of self-directed recovery
- Understand how to work collaboratively with individuals to support their journey towards wellness
CHCMHS003: Provide recovery-oriented mental health services
This unit covers the principles and practices of providing recovery-oriented mental health services that are person-centred, strengths-based and individualised. Students will develop an understanding of how to work collaboratively with people who experience mental health issues and their families/carers to support their recovery. They will also learn about the range of interventions and supports that are available to help people move towards recovery.
This unit is important because it helps students to understand how to work collaboratively with people who experience mental health issues. It also teaches them about the range of interventions and supports that are available to help people move towards recovery.
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the principles of recovery-oriented mental health services
- Work collaboratively with people who experience mental health issues and their families/carers to support their recovery
- Understand the range of interventions and supports that are available to help people move toward recovery
- Use a person-centred approach when working with people who experience mental health issues
- Use a strengths-based approach when working with people who experience mental health issues
CHCMHS004: Work collaboratively with the care network and other services
This unit covers how to work collaboratively with the care network and other services. It will help you understand the importance of communication and coordination when providing support to people with mental health issues. You will also learn about the different types of services available and how to connect people with the support they need.
At the end of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of communication and coordination when working with people with mental health issues
- Identify different types of services available to support people with mental health issues
- Connect people with the services they need.
- Completion of this unit will contribute to your ability to work as part of a team to provide support to people with mental health issues.
CHCMHS005: Provide services to people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to provide services to people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drug issues. This may include assessment, case management, triage, referral, and support.
It applies to workers who provide frontline support and direct service delivery in a range of settings.
This unit is important because it provides the skills and knowledge required to support people with complex needs. People with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drug issues often have difficulty accessing services, and this unit will provide you with the skills to support them.
Completion of this unit will enable you to:
- Provide services to people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues
- Assess the needs of people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues
- Develop a support plan for people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues
- Implement the support plan for people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues
- Monitor and review the support plan for people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drug issues.
CHCMHS009: Provide early intervention, health prevention and promotion programs
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work collaboratively with clients, carers, and other professionals to develop, facilitate and monitor whole-of-person plans that promote mental health, recovery and wellbeing.
It addresses the ability to support clients to increase their wellbeing through identifying goals that are culturally safe and promoting their strengths, resilience and protective factors.
This unit applies to workers who provide direct client services across a range of sectors including alcohol and other drugs, community services, corrections, disability, early childhood education and care, education and training, health, mental health and aged care.
They work autonomously under broad directions from senior management, within a frame of evidence-based guidelines and recovery principles. Workers at this level take responsibility for their own outputs within defined organisational guidelines and may be authorised to provide supervision and leadership to other workers.
CHCMHS010: Implement recovery-oriented approaches to complexity
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to address the needs of clients with mental health issues who display high levels of complexity.
You will learn how to:
- Implement a recovery-oriented approach to clients with mental health issues who display high levels of complexity
- Work within a multidisciplinary team when providing services to clients with mental health issues who display high levels of complexity
- Monitor and review services provided to clients with mental health issues who display high levels of complexity.
This unit applies to workers who support clients with mental health issues who display high levels of complexity in a range of community, primary healthcare and residential settings.
CHCMHS011: Assess and Promote Social, Emotional and Physical Wellbeing Course Details
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to assess and promote the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals experiencing mental health challenges. It includes understanding the interconnectedness of social, emotional and physical factors in mental health, identifying individual wellbeing needs and implementing strategies to enhance overall wellbeing. Learners will develop the ability to support clients by assessing their needs and promoting approaches that improve mental health outcomes through holistic, person-centred care.
This unit is crucial for workers who support individuals with mental health conditions. It equips workers with the skills to assess not only the emotional and mental aspects of wellbeing but also the social and physical dimensions, promoting an integrated approach to health and recovery. By learning to consider all aspects of an individual's health, workers can help create tailored support plans that contribute to a balanced and sustainable recovery journey.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Assess the social, emotional and physical wellbeing of individuals with mental health challenges
- Develop strategies to promote holistic wellbeing, including addressing the emotional, social and physical factors that impact recovery
- Collaborate with individuals to create person-centred wellbeing plans
- Identify and apply interventions that support positive wellbeing outcomes
- Monitor and review wellbeing strategies to ensure ongoing effectiveness and client satisfaction
CHCMHS012: Provide support to develop wellness plans and advanced directives
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to provide support to clients with mental health issues to develop wellness plans and advanced directives.
It involves working with clients in collaboration with other health professionals to develop and document plans that promote client recovery, wellness and self-management.
This unit applies to workers who provide support to clients with mental health issues in a range of community and residential settings.
Upon successful completion of this unit, you will be able to support clients with mental health issues to develop wellness plans and advanced directives in collaboration with other health professionals. This will involve working with clients to develop and document plans that promote client recovery, wellness and self-management.
CHCMHS013: Implement trauma-informed care
This course unit is part of the diploma of mental health. It covers the skills and knowledge required to provide care that is respectful of a person's past experiences of trauma and loss.
This diploma coursework will prepare you to work as a mental health professional. Through this diploma, you will develop an understanding of mental health issues and learn how to provide support and care to people living with mental illness.
Upon completion of this diploma, you will be able to work as a mental health worker, case manager, or outreach worker in a variety of settings, including community mental health services, hospitals, and private practices.
CHCPOL003: Research and apply evidence to practice
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to access and interpret mental health research and information and apply this evidence to clinical practice.
Evidence gathering is a necessary step in any clinical decision-making process. It allows practitioners to make informed decisions about the most appropriate assessment, diagnosis and treatment for individual clients.
The research findings that mental health practitioners use to inform their clinical decision-making can come from a range of sources, including scientific journals, government reports, community surveys and client case studies.
This unit applies to mental health practitioners who work independently and with other members of a multidisciplinary team. They work with clients who have mental health issues and disorders, and their families/carers.
CHCPRP003: Reflect on and Improve Own Professional Practice
The unit reflects the role of workers who are engaged in applying a range of well-developed community service, case management and facilitation skills to work collaboratively with clients and other professionals. They may provide services in a range of community service contexts.
On completion of this unit, workers will have the skills and knowledge required to reflect on their own professional practice, to identify opportunities for improvement and make changes to enhance their effectiveness.
By the end of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Reflect on practice
- Evaluate own performance against relevant standards
- Identify areas of practice that need improvement
2. Seek feedback on practice
- Seek feedback from colleagues, clients and others on areas of practice that need improvement
3. Identify opportunities for improving practice
- Analyse feedback received to identify opportunities for improving practice
4. Implement improvements to practice
- Develop and implement a plan to improve own professional practice
5. Monitor and review changes to practice
- Monitor and review changes to own professional practice against the plan
HLTWHS004: Manage work health and safety
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop, implement and maintain work health and safety (WHS) policies, procedures and programs to meet legislative requirements.
It applies to individuals who hold a supervisory or management role and who have responsibility for the work health and safety of others.
The unit covers the development, implementation and maintenance of work health and safety policies, procedures and programs to meet legislative requirements in order to protect workers and others at the workplace.
Elective Units
CHCAOD004: Assess needs of clients with alcohol and other drugs issues
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to conduct an assessment of clients with alcohol and other drug issues in order to develop case plans and coordinate service provision.
It applies to workers who conduct holistic assessments of clients with alcohol and other drugs issues and develop case plans in consultation with the client.
The skills in this unit must be applied within jurisdictional alcohol and other drugs legislation, policies and guidelines.
CHCCCS019: Recognise and respond to crisis situations
This unit covers the skills and knowledge required to recognise and respond to crisis situations. It includes identifying signs of crisis, responding appropriately to the level of crisis, and providing support to people in crisis.
This unit is relevant to workers in a range of community, health and human service contexts who work directly with clients.
This unit is important because it will provide you with the skills and knowledge to recognise and respond to crisis situations. It is also important to be able to provide support to people who are in crisis.
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Identify signs of crisis
- Respond appropriately to the level of crisis
- Provide support to people in crisis.
CHCPRP001: Develop and maintain networks and collaborative partnerships
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to develop and maintain networks and collaborative partnerships.
It applies to workers who work with young people in a range of contexts.
At the end of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Develop partnerships
- Determine purpose of developing partnerships
- Develop networks and linkages
- Identify potential partners
- Develop partnerships
2. Maintain partnerships
- Maintain networks and linkages
- Evaluate the effectiveness of partnerships
3. Develop collaborative relationships
- Develop collaborative relationships
- Implement collaborative relationships
4. Maintain collaborative relationships
- Maintain collaborative relationships
- Evaluate the effectiveness of collaborative relationships
5. Facilitate community participation
- Facilitate community participation
- Evaluate the effectiveness of community participation
6. Advocate for community development
- Advance the interests of community development
- Evaluate the effectiveness of advocacy activities
7. Foster community self-reliance
- Evaluate community needs
- Encourage community initiatives
- Evaluate the effectiveness of fostering community self-reliance
CHCPRP002: Collaborate in professional practice
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to establish, implement and evaluate collaborative practice.
This unit applies to health and community service practitioners who may collaborate on the delivery of services to individual clients, groups of clients, communities or sub-populations. They may work individually with shared clients, together with individual clients or work on projects or programs that address the needs of groups or sub-populations. Work is self-directed.
HLTWHS006: Manage personal stressors in the work environment
This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to maintain health and wellbeing by preventing and managing personal stress.
This unit applies to work in a range of health and community services settings, in particular work roles that operate in high stress situations and circumstances.
What career could I have?
Possible careers include:
- Community Care Worker: Supports clients in the community with basic needs such as shopping, cooking, personal care and budgeting.
- Mental Health Worker: Assists clients with mental illness to live independently in the community. Duties may include providing support and counselling, linking clients with other services, and helping to develop life skills.
- Mental Health Services: Clinical psychologist, psychiatrist, psychiatric nurse.
- Rehabilitation Counsellor: Helps people with mental illness, physical disabilities or injuries, and substance abuse issues to overcome barriers and live independently. Duties may include conducting assessments, developing treatment plans, providing counselling and linking clients with other services.
- Community Rehabilitation and Support Worker: Provides rehabilitation and support to people with mental illness, physical disabilities or injuries, and substance abuse issues living in the community. Duties may include conducting assessments, developing treatment plans, providing counselling and linking clients with other services.
- Community Support Worker: Provides support to people with mental illness, physical disabilities or injuries, and substance abuse issues living in the community. Duties may include providing counselling, linking clients with other services, and helping to develop life skills.
- Mental Health Intake Officer: Works as part of a team to assess clients referred to mental health services. Duties may include conducting initial interviews, completing assessments and making referrals to appropriate services.
- Mental Health Outreach Worker: Provides support and counselling to clients in the community who have mental health issues. Duties may include linking clients with other services, providing crisis intervention and helping to develop life skills.
- Mental Health Rehabilitation Support Worker: Provides rehabilitation and support to clients with mental illness who are living in the community. Duties may include conducting assessments and developing treatment plans.
FAQ
- Be at least 18 years of age.
- Be and Australian citizen or permanent resident.
- Have completed their education to a level which is equivalent to an Australian Senior High School Year 12 or has completed an AQF Certificate IV in Mental Health.
- Have suitable language, literacy and numeracy skills to read and comprehend learning materials and perform tasks related to recording workplace documents including reading and writing detailed reports, case notes, reports and other documents, interpreting workplace policy and procedure and reporting hazards. Learners are required to pass an online LLN assessment test at or above level 3 in reading, writing and numeracy.
- Be capable of completing 160 hours of work placement in a suitable health facility.
- Have sound computer skills to navigate simple software to complete the online component of this course and must be able to use intermediate level Word features in order produce and present word-processed documents/ reports.
- Have access to a laptop and internet to complete this online course.
- Hold the required criminal and working with children checks (if applicable) or be able to apply for a police check if required prior to the commencement of work placement if required.
- These entry requirements will be confirmed through information collected on the enrolment form and during the enrolment interview.
This is a blended online delivery model which incorporates Trainer led synchronous online zoom classroom sessions for 3 hours per week for 44 weeks in the evening, a monthly one-hour one-on-one mentoring session with your trainer (zoom, phone) and 160 hours of work placement, plus you will need to complete 22 hours per week for 44 weeks undertaking structured self-paced study. All online learning and assessment materials are accessed via the student online portal. You will have the support of an online trainer & assessor throughout your studies.
Enquire about Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) options if you are in the industry.
For more information about the many benefits of online learning with us at Hader Institute of Education, simply submit your details online or call now on (03) 8362 3113.
Hader Institute provides support to all learners through the trainer and the Hader Institute of Education Learner Support Officer.
The assessment is conducted using a combination of realistic workplace tasks, projects, knowledge tests, response to case studies and feedback from supervisors. The following provides a brief explanation of the assessment methods that are to be applied: Written tasks; Case Study; Practical Activities/Demonstrations; Work Placement
How to choose the right career after the diploma of mental health?
When it comes to choosing a career after the diploma of mental health, it is important to think about what you are interested in and what you are good at. Some of the factors you may want to consider include:
- What are your interests?
- What skills do you have?
- What are the job prospects in your area?
- What is the salary range for your desired job?
It is also important to do some research on the different careers available and talk to people who work in those careers. This can help give you a better idea of what each career involves and whether it is a good fit for you.
How long will it take to complete the diploma of mental health?
The diploma can be completed in as little as 12 months. However, most students take between 18 and 24 months to complete the diploma.
What career opportunities are available after the diploma of mental health?
There are many career opportunities available after the diploma of mental health. Some examples include social work, counselling, psychology, and psychiatric nursing. Each of these careers requires different skills and training, but all of them involve helping people who are struggling with their mental health.
When can I start the diploma of mental health?
You can start the diploma of mental health at any time. Simply enrol online, and you will be given access to the course materials.
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