The course will help participants better understand the signs and symptoms of common mental health problems affecting young people, where and how to get help and what sort of help is known to be effective.

It also helps better develop ways to deal with mental health crisis situations or those that are in the early stages of mental health problems.

An initiative of the NSW Health funded, Rural Adversity Mental Health Program, and run in collaboration with the University of Newcastle's Centre for Rural and Remote Mental Health - the training course is set to be highly beneficial to participants given the prevalence of mental health associated problems in the community.

Project co-ordinator, Georgia-Lee Pollard, said the course is designed to raise awareness of mental health issues that people might encounter in their working, social or personal lives.

“The primary aims are to increase mental health literacy and reduce the stigma often associated with mental health,” she said.

“Research suggests that as few as 25% of Australian adolescents with mental health problems seek professional help,” Ms Pollard said, highlighting the extent of one of the key groups where mental health problems are most common.

“We also know that there are additional barriers for rural youth with mental health problems in seeking and receiving help relating to decreased access to services due to distance, and the limited services in rural areas.”

Ms Pollard said participants will receive a certificate to recognise their involvement in the program upon completion.

Morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea will be provided to participants on both days of the course, which will run from 8:30am-4:30pm each day.

Registration forms can be obtained by calling or emailing Georgia at the Centre for Rural & Remote

Mental Health on 6363 8426 or at georgia.pollard@gwahs.health.nsw.gov.au