The content was valuable in affirming previous knowledge and refreshing and updating my awareness of appropriate responses in stressful situations. Andrew’s calm and thoughtful manner assisted with taking in information. Perhaps more role playing to reinforce learning would be beneficial as i do learn well experientially.

I really enjoyed the training it was full of relevant and interesting information the actives were great and kept us all engaged.

I just wanted to say thank you for the training. I really enjoyed it and learned some valuable skills.

You are a great presenter for the course. I thank you for your patience and active listening for all the attendees. The informations were explained clearly and easy to understand. Best of all you have both, past experienced of working as a mental health nurse and live experienced. You clearly understand and feel for the carers and what you shared definitely will give hope to the attendees/carers.

The content was confronting, relevant and very important. This training should be mandatory for everyone who works in education, health and security

To share with friends who do not understand about this course can help them understand how to help those in need

The information provided will also help me greatly in the work place. I wish this course was seen as important as physical first aid. Personally I wish that my siblings would want to do a course like this, rather than just put people with mental health issues in the ‘too hard’ basket. I love that time was provided for people to share their experiences and not be afraid to ask questions

I found the course validating and really informative. Thank you Andrew.

I wish I had these tools 35 years ago, my life would have been so different today. thank you, because is never too late to improve it. Merci

Course material was excellent and very well presented.

I have used some of the things with my daughter that we were taught since finishing the course and come at things from a different angle with some clients at work.

This is extremely helpful and certainly essential for anyone who can help at some point.

Andrew was amazing. The course was so incredibly helpful and sitting it with others with similar lived experiences was really helpful. It created life long contacts as well. I feel equipped to deal with what is going on at home. I can’t thank Andrew enough.

Thank you so much for having me , in my 43 years ive never experienced anything more heartbreaking then having my son fall ill . Over the past year as a carer ive struggled so much to find resources and help due to being so confused on what i need to learn about and actually having time . This course has given insight into so much knowledge in one place . To be able to have open converstations on topics that i hide has been so beneficial. I’m grateful that this course has created a space for me to speak to my son openly as the videos and converstations in the class room gave me so much hope . The way the course was delivered was calm and controlled and when your life is upside down that in it’s self it weight an gold . The book is super informative and I’m happy i have that as a guide for me to be able to help my family become better carers . I would love if my whole family could do this course . This should be delivered in so many forums so people can get good education on how to help one who needs help . Just 1 week after the course ive been able to get the courage to speak to my son and ask him what really goes on for him . This is all credit to Andrew giving me the tools and facts on what someone needs whilst experiencing mental health challenges. This 2 day course is so valuable i wish I could do it again . Thank you so much Andrew for allowing me to be me , in your space and giving me hope after a long year of struggling. I will now tell all my supports to do this course as there is a lack of information for carers .

Presenter’s lived experience made discussions realistic and Andrew’s calm tone was grounding, and made it comfortable for us to share our own experiences. Overall it was very informative and is useful for everyday life as a family carer and also generally in the community.

Thank You Andrew for the MHFA course. I found the course very relevant to the work Vinnies provides to our clients. Your presentation style was inclusive and respectful. The content was dense however the power point presentation was great as it allowed for a lot of discussion from us

The course was presented in a very professional manner where all thoughts and ideas were responded to in a positive and encouraging way. There was a good mix of activities providing opportunities to interact with other participants. I look forward to using this new knowledge in the work that I do as a volunteer at WPCS. Thankyou Andrew.

I really enjoyed the course the presentation was great, it lead me to want to refresh and extend my knowledge around Mental Health First Aid introducing me to changing attitudes and resources that are available for my own and client ( consumer ) use.

I was very impressed with the course and learnt a lot from Andrew.

I found your dot point approach to significant aspects of the course very important. Perhaps offer some of your notes (at a price) for the participants as a summary of the book.

I found Andrew’s unhurried but thorough style very conducive to learning

The course was very good and the book was an excellent resource. I would say it is a lot to remember and being able to put the knowledge to use would certainly help your skill.

This course would benefit those volunteers who are working with people who are experiencing mental health challenges as they are often the front line responders. Groups such as St Vincent de Paul and other welfare organisations are often called on to support people who find themselves at a low point in their lives which results in their mental health becoming exacerbated.

Over the course of around 6 months, my time with Andrew was my steady reference point. He created a safe, encouraging space where I could relax and reflect on important issues without judgement or direction. As a professional support he created an opportunity to see events from several angles without the organisational influence of an insider, and this ensured I acted with sound judgement in my own best interest. He was also able to sincerely empathise with the challenges faced by Lived Experience carer workers, like me, within the public health system, and he supported my efforts at keeping the carer focus visible in my public mental health setting despite strong adverse organisational pressure. I feel fortunate to have had Andrew journey with me during some very tough times indeed.

Andrew has a a great depth of knowledge, wisdom and intelligence in a professional capacity, but brings a very authentic humanness to his supervision sessions which very much aligned with me.

Who doesn’t want that?

As a supervisor, Andrew has created space, time and support for me to be able to share (even vent) and explore my work and develop in my family Carer LE expertise. I appreciate Andrew’s intellectual humility, kindness, knowledge and compassion. I look forward to our supervision sessions and always come away with a couple of gems of knowledge to take back to my working life. Discipline specific supervision with Andrew has been a valuable and vital part of my work and also included lots of laughs and time to bring all the aspects of my life, work and caring responsibilities to the safe space. I am grateful that I’ve found a supervision who is such a great fit for me, its been a very positive experience.