CHC43315

Certificate IV in

Mental Health

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About the course
Course requirements
Cost & subsidies

Study mode online

Enrol anytime

Nationally recognised

Average 15-18 months

Limited Time Save $2,450

15 units of competency

Flexible payment plans

RRP $4940 - PAY $2500 Upfront

Summary

Diagnosed mental health issues are on the rise in Australia, so there is a need for more mental health workers in the community services industry. The CHC43315 Certificate IV in Mental Health (Release 3) will allow you to develop the specialist skills to work with clients with a mental health illness. Including a work placement, this comprehensive certificate will give you the job-ready skills you need to find employment in the sector, whether as a stand alone qualification, or as a supplement to a degree.

What you'll learn

You will learn how to give self-directed recovery support to people who are affected by mental illness and psychiatric disability. Working in the mental health sector can be a fulfilling and rewarding profession, where no two days are the same. Draw upon your own life experience to holistically help others be the best they can be; and give them the tools they need to make progress in their lives.

In this course, you'll learn to:

Work collaboratively with the care work and other services
Work effecitively in trauma informed care
Assess and promote social, emotional and physical wellbeing
Provide recovery oriented mental health services

Other personal skills you may learn along the way include:

Showing empathy and understanding with clients
Excellent communication skills
Team collaboration
Problem-solving skills

Why choose Upskilled?

Dedicated student support

Achieve your goals with the help of our friendly student support team and dedicated trainers.

Flexible payments options

Choose from one of our multiple payment plans designed to suit your needs.

24/7 access to online courses

Our online courses mean you can study anytime, anywhere. Adjust your study schedule to a time that suits you best.

Nationally Recognised Training

This is a Nationally Recognised Training and VET Accredited course that sits within the Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF).

Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning

Enjoy unlimited access to over 16,000 online resources on LinkedIn Learning, taught by real-world industry experts in creative, technology, and business skills.

Upskilled listens to you

We care about your education journey and what it means to your future. That's why we think we have the best educational consultants in the industry. We listen because we care about your goals.

*The reviews on this page are not specific to this course.

Detail

Duration

Average 15-18 months

Units

15 units of competency

Course structure

The standard course is conducted over a 18 month period; within a self-paced online learning environment.

Upskilled will gather information about your previous experience and skills, weekly study commitment and online learning experience to provide you with an projected duration for your course based on your individual circumstance.

Upskilled uses MyUpskilled to manage the delivery and assessment of your course. This means you can learn at your own pace.

About Self-Paced Learning

Upskilled wants to ensure that you get the best online learning experience, which is why we offer flexible and self-paced courses to suit your needs.

While online learning provides you with the flexibility of managing both your personal and work schedule, it's important to have a consistent approach so you don't fall behind.

We want to help you succeed, which is why all the courses delivered through Upskilled come with a training plan to help you stay on track.

On average, Upskilled students take approximately 13 months to finish a course.

Simply put, the more hours you dedicate to your course, the closer you'll be to the finish line.

How many hours per week should I dedicate to my course?

We recommend spending at least 12-23 hours per week of study in order to stay on track with your studies. If you wish to complete your course in 12 months it would be approx 18 hours per week, Based on 15 hrs, it may take you up to 18 months to complete a certificate-level qualification.

How quickly you finish a course is also dependent on your existing skills and experience.

This is simply a guide to help you better understand how many hours you ideally need to spend on your studies. We understand that everyone approaches learning differently, but rest assured, you'll still have a great level of control in your learning.

Work Placement

By studying the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health, you'll need to do a minimum of 80 hours of work placement in a suitable Counselling or Community Services environment. To learn about the requirements for this part of the course, visit the 'Course requirements' page.

Be sure to check out our Industry Partners if you need further assistance in sourcing a host organisation for work placement.

Inclusions

Upskilled courses include specialised learning materials, and access to:

Upskilled’s fully customised online learning platform, MyUpskilled
Student Support Team
Specialist trainers
Video content access via:
- LinkedIn Learning
- ClickView

Recognition of Prior Learning / Credit Transfer

Work experience or formal qualifications you have may count towards your course. If you have previously undertaken study at a recognised institution or have some relevant work experience, you might gain credit towards specific units in a course; shortening the time you have to study. You can send your application for Credit Transfer or RPL during the enrolment process.

Assessment

Upskilled takes evidence gathered from a variety of sources to deem a student as competent. Assessment processes might include some or all of the following:

Recognition of Prior Learning and/or credit transfer
summative and formative assignments
written reports and/or portfolio assessments
scenarios and/or case studies
projects
written/oral questions
regular training and assessment contact will be maintained by Upskilled in conjunction with the participant and their employer (where applicable). Critical dates during the program will be identified for participants to ensure compliance to assessment due dates, and attendance at monthly webinars as required.

Role-Playing and Interactive Learning Activities

This course comes with Interactive Learning Activities. Upskilled understands the importance of practical experience, so to complement the theory components of your course, our specialist trainers may run ad-hoc Interactive Learning Activities.

You'll have the opportunity to collaborate with other students - sharing questions, thoughts and ideas, as well as participating together in interactive learning activities.

While the Interactive Learning Activities are not mandatory, your participation is encouraged. You can receive some additional benefits and support, which may include:

Having a study buddy where you can bounce off ideas and help each other with assessments.
Online Classrooms where our specialist trainers can go over learning content that's part of your course.
Activities that relate to your assessments, which can help boost your knowledge and skills.

Additionally, role-playing is included in some of the learning areas of this course. It will also make up some of the practical elements of your assessments, including the assessments in your work placement.

The benefits of role-playing

Upskilled believes that you can benefit from undertaking role-playing activities throughout your studies. Not only are they fun and interactive, it gives you the opportunity to collaborate with other participants such as other students, your family, friends and or colleagues.

Below are some benefits you can experience when role-playing:

Improved decision-making and communication skills: Working in health and community services may involve you working in a variety of work settings. Professionals in this field are expected to make decisions and communicate effectively with clients, colleagues and stakeholders. Our role-playing assessments can help further improve your decision-making and communication skills in a community service workplace.
Preparation for work placement: Role-playing is effective in helping you prepare for work placement. Before you go on work placement, you'll need to complete most of the theory components of your course. The skills and knowledge developed from your role-playing assessments are based on scenarios you may face when working in the community services industry.
Develop knowledge and skills to be "work-ready": Due to the interactive nature of role-playing, it can be an opportunity to practice community service industry roles with volunteers and other students in order to enhance your knowledge and skills. Job roles within this field are "hands-on", so role-playing can prepare you for the physical nature of the work - particularly in the disability and aged care sectors.

Find out how our students actually gain employment after studying.

Subjects

This qualification consists of the following units of competency. All units of competency must be successfully completed to attain the qualification. The program is broken down into 5 logical clusters

Culture and diversity
Health, Safety and Risk Assessment
Law and Mental Health Workplaces
Mental Health Services and The Recovery Model
Mental Health, Illness and Trauma.

CHCDIV002

Promote Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety

The unit describes the skills and knowledge required to identify Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander cultural safety issues in the workplace, model cultural safety in own work practice, and develop strategies to enhance cultural safety. This unit applies to people working in a broad range of roles including those involved in direct client service, program planning, development and evaluation contexts. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

CHCMHS008

Promote and facilitate self advocacy

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to encourage, support and promote self-advocacy. The promotion and facilitation of self-advocacy contributes to a person’s self-determination, empowerment and right to make informed choices in regard to all aspects of their life. This unit applies to work with people living with mental illness in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCMHS004

Work collaboratively with the care network and other services

This unit describes the skills knowledge required to work collaboratively with the care network and other potential services for a person with mental illness. This work provides a recovery oriented practice approach, involving a variety of health and community service professionals working collaboratively with the person and their care network. This unit applies to work with people living with mental illness in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCMHS007

Work effectively in trauma informed care

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to practice and contribute to the continuous improvement of trauma informed care within a service. This unit applies to individuals working in the community services and health sectors where services are informed by the knowledge and understanding of central trauma, particularly the impact of interpersonal violence.

CHCMHS011

Assess and promote social, emotional and physical wellbeing

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work collaboratively with individuals to assess, promote and review all aspects of wellbeing. This unit applies to work with people living with mental illness in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCMHS005

Provide services to people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to assess capacity to support people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs issues and to work collaboratively to provide support and facilitate links to other services. This unit applies to work with people with co-existing mental health and alcohol and other drugs (AOD) assessments in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCMHS002

Establish self-directed recovery relationships

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to promote the principles of recovery oriented practice, and to establish and confirm self-directed recovery relationships with people with mental illness. This unit applies to work with people living with a mental illness in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCDIV001

Work with diverse people

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work respectfully with people from diverse social and cultural groups and situations, including Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people. This unit applies to all workers. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

CHCLEG001

Work legally and ethically

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to identify and work within the legal and ethical frameworks that apply to an individual job role. This unit applies to community services and health workers who play a proactive role in identifying and meeting their legal and ethical responsibilities. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

HLTWHS001

Participate in workplace health and safety

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required for workers to participate in safe work practices to ensure their own health and safety, and that of others. The unit applies to all workers who require knowledge of workplace health and safety (WHS) to carry out their own work, either under direct supervision or with some individual responsibility. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

CHCMHS003

Provide recovery oriented mental health services

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to work collaboratively in providing services to implement a range of strategies as part of recovery oriented service provision for people with mental illness. This unit applies to work with people living with mental illness in a range of community services work contexts.

CHCCOM002

Use communication to build relationships

This unit describes the skills and knowledge to apply specific communication techniques to establish, build and maintain relationships with clients, colleagues and other stakeholders based on respect and trust. This unit applies to work across a range of workplace contexts where workers at all levels may communicate with individuals and/or groups both in person and in writing.

CHCPRP003

Reflect on and improve own professional practice

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to evaluate and enhance own practice through a process of reflection and ongoing professional development. This unit applies to workers in all industry sectors who take pro-active responsibility for their own professional development. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

CHCCCS003

Increase the safety of individuals at risk of suicide

This unit describes the skills and knowledge to identify and manage immediate suicide risk and work with the individual to achieve safe outcomes. It includes the requirements for developing a clear safety plan for addressing any immediate danger to the person at risk or others, mobilising access to emergency medical help when needed and facilitating links with further support. This unit applies to people in formal helping roles in any community service context. Suicide safety may involve face-to-face, telephone or remote contact with the person involved. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

CHCCCS019

Recognise and respond to crisis situations

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to recognise situations where people may be in imminent crisis, and then to work collaboratively to minimise any safety concerns and make plans to access required support services. This unit applies to any community services worker involved in crisis intervention. Management of the crisis may involve face-to-face, telephone or remote contact with persons involved. The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State/Territory legislation, Australian/New Zealand standards and industry codes of practice.

Outcomes

This qualification could give you several career and/or further study outcomes. After completing this course, you could explore job roles.

Career outcomes

Mental Health Worker Salary
$68,600 - 104,500 annually Community Services

Education pathways

This course might include a pathway to university. Education pathways are current at the time of publishing but are subject to change.

Educators

Upskilled's trainers in the CHC faculty have well-rounded skill sets and industry experience to help ensure that you're well-trained and prepared for any career challenge you experience in the community services field.

Approaching training with empathy, compassion and openness, you'll find that our trainers in the CHC faculty will help you develop the job-ready skills needed to prepare you for a career where you can make a difference everyday.

Below are some of the examples of support you may receive in the CHC faculty:

Assessment walkthroughs (recorded)
Assessment and Academic support sessions
Additional resources and professional development opportunities
Peer support and practical practise sessions via Zoom
Online recorded Training facilitated by your Trainer/Assessor

Entry requirements

Start date

Enrol anytime

Upskilled always want to ensure that our students are enrolled in the right course for them.

These entry requirements are here as a guide and it's always best to talk to one of our Education Consultants, as they're trained to ensure that you're enrolled in a course that aligns with your career goals.

As a guide, entrants to this program may:

have completed year 10, or equivalent

a qualification at Certificate III level or higher, or

3 years of relevant industry experience in a role that requires the use of written documentation and communication.

You'll also need to be at least 18 years at the time of admission.

If you're under 18, please speak with our Education Consultants to find out about your eligibility.

_{*Additional eligibility criteria may be applicable and affected by other factors and personal circumstances. Please speak with our Education Consultants to confirm your eligibility for this course.}

Requirements for work placement

This qualification will have you undertake work placement at a nominated host organisation approved by Upskilled.

Work placement has been specifically designed to help prepare you for potential career outcomes, giving you the opportunity to further implement and gain practical skills and valuable industry insights through a real-life workplace.

Your work placement will commence once you have completed most of the theory components of your course.

Here are some key requirements you should be aware of for the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health:

You will need to undertake a minimum of 80 hours of work placement in a suitable Counselling or Community Services Environment.
It is your responsibility to source a suitable host organisation for work placement. Please note that this can take up to several weeks, so it is recommended to allocate sufficient time when sourcing host suitable organisations.
If you are unable to locate a host organisation, Upskilled's Work Placement Officer can assist you in finding one. Please note that it is required to provide Upskilled with a list of host organisations who have declined your requests for work placement
Once you have successfully secured work placement with a host organisation, you will need to complete the Work Placement Agreement Form and submit via MyUpskilled. Please note that Upskilled must approve the Work Placement Agreement before you start your work placement.

What happens if I'm already working in the industry?

If you are currently employed in the industry relevant to your qualification, you may be able to complete your work placement assessment requirements within your own workplace and may not need to source for a suitable host organisation.

You will need to submit a Work Placement Agreement Form via MyUpskilled with the details of your employer and Workplace Supervisor. Please note that Upskilled must approve the Work Placement Agreement Form before you commence your work placement.

What clearance checks and documentation do I need for work placement?

Requirements vary from state-to-state. Please see below the required documentation and clearance checks needed by Upskilled and host organisations.

If you live in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, NT and WA, you will need:

Working with Children Check
National Police Check
Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae

If you live in ACT and TAS, you will need:

Working with Vulnerable People Check
National Police Check
Cover Letter
Curriculum Vitae

Fees may apply when obtaining some of the clearance checks. It is a mandatory requirement that you apply for the relevant checks and submit your approved checks via MyUpskilled within the first 2 months of your course start date.

You will also need to supply your cover letter and curriculum vitae if you require assistance from Upskilled’s Work Placement Officer.

Upskilled reserves the right to transfer you to another course which work placement is not a mandatory requirement or cancel your enrolment if you have not obtained and submitted the required clearance checks.

How will I be assessed?

An Upskilled Assessor will liaise with your host organisation's Workplace Supervisor to review and validate your practical skill ability. For certain tasks, you will need to demonstrate your skills through video recordings and when necessary, through simulated activities which will be assessed by your Upskilled Assessor.

Please note that to successfully complete the work placement component of this qualification, you will need to be reasonably fit to undertake a variety of tasks and activities that may involve manual lifting, kneeling on the floor and other physical activities.

Physical requirements

Students will need to be reasonably physically fit to undertake the work placement as the tasks and activities associated with the work placement may involve manual lifting and other physical activities.

Flexible payment options

Upskilled offers flexible payment options for students. Enquire now for more information on payment methods.

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This course may be eligible for Government funding.

Complete our online government funding eligibility form to find out if you qualify.

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*The reviews on this page are not specific to this course.

Government funding

At both a state and federal level, government commitment to upskilling the Australian workforce has resulted in a comprehensive framework of funding schemes and incentive opportunities. As a result, many Upskilled participants are provided incentives by the Government to undertake training and/or find that their courses are heavily subsidised.

Government funding options for:
Certificate IV in Mental Health

Major schemes include:

Check your eligibility

An Upskilled education consultant will contact you within 48 hours

What are mental health courses?

Upskilled offers mental health training through the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health and it's an ideal online course if you're interested in helping others work through their ongoing mental health issues.

This is an area of interest in the community services industry and can be a rewarding career path if you're passionate about helping others and want to gain specialist skills to help people affected by mental illness and psychiatric disability.

How long does the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health take to complete?

This course has a duration of up to 18 months and is delivered online. Work placement is also included in the course where you'll get the opportunity to choose a host organisation in order to get your foot in the door within the mental health sector.

What can you do with a CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health?

Considering the practical nature of the course (placement, role-playing activities), the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health can give you the job-ready skills needed to secure paid employment in the sector, or it can supplement your existing skills and experience. Possible career outcomes you can achieve with this course include mental health worker and community support worker.

Similarly, we also offer courses in counselling if you're looking to pursue a career as a counsellor. If you're wanting a taster course that can give you basic counselling skills, we have a Short Course in Counselling, which is part of our range of online short courses offered through Upskilled.

The CHC51015 - Diploma of Counselling is a nationally-recognised qualification that can give you the relevant training needed if you're serious about pursuing counselling as a career.

What skills can I gain from a mental health course?

There are plenty of skills you can gain from an online mental health course.

For example, the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health has 15 units of competency to achieve and these can give you the necessary training needed to prepare for work as a mental health worker.

These skills include:

Communication skills: You need to have effective communication skills to find career success in the mental health sector. This can help you build relationships with your clients, colleagues and other stakeholders based on the foundations of trust and respect. It also gives you the knowledge needed to approach difficult situations with great sensitivity and empathy.
Responding to crisis situations: To be an effective mental health worker, you'll need to know how to respond to crisis situations and how to handle these as safely as possible. By knowing what to do during crisis intervention, you give yourself the ability to minimise safety concerns and have working knowledge on what support services your client specifically needs if they're experiencing a difficult situation that puts their safety at risk.
Collaboration with other care professionals: It's important to effectively communicate and collaborate with other care professionals that have a direct impact on your clients. This is especially important if they have ongoing mental health issues and need to see other specialists in order to receive appropriate care and treatment. An effective mental health worker is typically someone that's collaborative and a team player.

How can I enrol in a mental health course?

To enrol in a mental health course, you'll first have to evaluate which course you're willing to do that best aligns with your desired career outcomes in mental health. Perhaps you may want to enrol in the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health as you may be interested in working as a mental health worker as opposed to a counsellor.

Once you decide on a course, you'll need to fill out a course enquiry on our website. You'll be asked to fill out the following details:

Your Name
Phone Number
Email Address

In addition to this, you'll need to share with us what your current career goal is and how an online course for mental health may support this. Below are some examples:

Changing careers
Pursuing a promotion
Developing your skill set
Starting a career
Returning to work

Once you submit a course enquiry, one of our education consultants should be in touch with you within 48 hours to get to know you more about your current situation, asking you a couple of questions based on your skills and experience, your time commitment for online learning and what the mental health course entails.

You'll also have the option of asking questions surrounding:

Payment options
Course eligibility
Possible career outcomes in mental health

If you're happy with your consultation and ready to enrol in the CHC43315 - Certificate IV in Mental Health, then your education consultant will send through an enrolment form via email.

Mental Health