Resources & Training

Mental Health Training

Mental health training is provided by Mental Health Academic Chantal Bachere Crinquand to health professionals and community members in Geraldton and Carnarvon. Training topics include: Mental Health First Aid (2-day), Youth Mental Health First Aid (2-day), Understanding aggressive behavious and de-esculation techniques, Vicarious Trauma. For upcoming dates, visit our website calendar.

ARHEN Respect: A training guide for health students (Online course)

This training is aimed for health science students and health care providers. It will prepare you for speaking out against discriminatory and demeaning speech and behaviour. Course duration is approximately 45 minutes. Course certificate on completion.

View and log onto the ARHEN Respect online course.

Speaking Out Against Disrespect (Online course)

This training aims to develop your skills and confidence to speak up against discriminatory and demeaning speech and behaviour. Join the growing numbers of people who recognise that standing up against disrespect is an important step in preventing family violence.

View and log onto the Speaking Out Against Disrespect online course.

Cultural Orientation Plan (Online course)

The Cultural Orientation Plan is a online course for students and health professionals working with Aboriginal people. Completion of this package is a prerequisite for all students completing placements at the WA Centre for Rural Health.

View and log onto the Cultural Orientation Plan online course.

Clinical Yarning eLearning Program

Effective communication between clinicians and patients is the foundation to high quality health care. Unfortunately, ineffective communication is common, even more so when there are cultural and language differences between clinicians and patients. 

The Clinical Yarning eLearning Program was developed as a resource to improve the effectiveness of communication of health care clinicians who work with Aboriginal patients. 

Clinical Yarning is one aspect to improving the quality and cultural security of care for Aboriginal patients and their families. Read more about clinical yarning here.

Whisper No More: Sharing our stories for better cancer outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (Online course and Videos)

***Warning: these videos contain the names of images of deceased Aboriginal people. Viewer discretion is advised*** 

Aboriginal patients with cancer share their story on video, agreeing to the use of the material to make resources for health professionals to enhance their understanding of what matters to Aboriginal people when they have cancer. Topics covered in interviews include the person and their family, their symptoms and diagnosis, care-seeking and delays in diagnosis, response to diagnosis, treatment, what helped them living with their cancer diagnosis, things they did to stay well and wishes for end-of-life care.

View and log onto the Whisper No More Online Course for healthcare professionals and health science students. Watch the Whisper No More videos.

Learning Brain & Survival Brain - How experience shapes behaviour (Video)

This short animated video gives a perspective on the impacts of childhood trauma on the learning brain and the survival brain. It will assist community members understand the impacts of trauma on children and into adulthood. It also helps parents and teachers to talk about trauma with students. Watch the Learning Brain & Survival Brain video.

Making the Invisible Visible (Booklet)

***Warning: this booklet has descriptions of family domestic violence***

Family violence is often present but invisible in our families, our organisations and our communities. WACRH invited community members to share their personal accounts of the impact of family violence on them. As the stories show, not all family violence is about physical assault. In all these cases, there was escalation of violence, control and intimidation over time. While alcohol and mental illness may be part of these personal stories, the common element is of men exerting coercive control over and intimidating others, who are mostly women and children. Read the Making the Invisible Visible booklet.

Media Toolkits (Booklets)

Aboriginal Health and the Mainstream News Media: A toolkit for journalists has been developed to guide journalists to navigate the Aboriginal health sector in the course of newsgathering and reporting. It provides practical advice from Aboriginal health professionals. 

Changing the News: A media engagement toolkit for Aboriginal Health Professionals has been designed for Aboriginal health professionals. It provides advice from journalists to Aboriginal health professionals and offers substantial information on managing the media and developing strategies to get your message across.

My Back On Track, My Future (Videos)

Low back pain (LBP) is the number one cause of disability in Australia and Aboriginal Australians are more likely to have back issues. To reduce the burden, people with LBP need access to evidence-based information. My back on track, my future offers this information in video format for Aboriginal people with LBP. Read the My back on track, my future published paper.

Passing on Wisdom: Jason’s diabetes story (Video)

***Warning: these videos contain the names of images of deceased Aboriginal people. Viewer discretion is advised*** 

In making this video, Jason Bartlett realised his dying wish was to raise the awareness of the importance of men taking personal responsibility for their health. The 36-year-old singer songwriter recorded the video days before passing away from complications of diabetes and obesity, leading to heart and kidney failure.

Watch the Passing on Wisdom: Jason’s diabetes story video.

Poche Indigenous Health Network

The Poche Indigenous Health Network has supported the WA Centre for Rural Health in many endeavours related to better management of chronic conditions in Aboriginal people, particularly cancer and cardiovascular disease.

Understand Your Heart and Heart Disease (Videos)

The Understand your heart and heart disease series of videos are available to provide education to Aboriginal people on how to prevent and manage heart disease. The series is also relevant to health professionals as they harness the approach and skills of an accomplished health educator with a reputation for developing programs that empower Aboriginal people with the knowledge to better understand their health. 

These videos are based on findings from research undertaken by the WA Centre for Rural Health, The University of Western Australia, the National Heart Foundation and the Bettering Aboriginal Heart Health WA (BAHHWA) project.

Read the Bettering Aboriginal Heart Health WA (BAHHWA) report.