Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work

This highly popular qualification provides Peer Workers with an opportunity to build on their lived experience and on-the-job experience and receive a nationally recognised qualification in mental health.

Course overview

The peer workforce is the fastest growing mental health workforce in Australia. The Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work (CHC43515) has been developed to build on the knowledge of workers who have lived experience of mental health conditions as either a consumer or carer, and who work in mental health services in roles that support consumer peers or carer peers.

The course is suited to students with no prior qualification and some work experience, or someone who has on-the-job experience and would like to consolidate it through formal learning.

The course is delivered by experienced Peer Workers.

Duration

Run over one year, including 40 hours of virtual classrooms and supported self-paced learning and assessments.

What you will learn

Through a blend of theory, practical coursework and discussions with other Peer Workers you will learn:

• Safe Storytelling and ways of sharing your experience
• Recovery and Trauma-Informed Care
• Understanding & responding to suicide
• Undertake Peer Work practices
• Navigating the mental health system
• Work with diverse people
• Promote self-advocacy
• Work with impacted families

Who should enrol

• Consumer Peer Worker (paid or unpaid)
• Carer Peer Worker (paid or unpaid)

What to consider before enrolling in this course

Entry Requirements

• Currently working (paid or unpaid) in an identified consumer peer work or carer peer work role providing direct ongoing support to other consumers as part of their day-to-day work, with 120 hours of work placement.
• An online Language Literacy and Numeracy skills assessment is required before enrolment can be confirmed in this course
• A workplace supervisor or manager is required to provide evidence of the participant’s competency in the units/qualification. For further information download the Supervisors Handbook
• Applicants must be over 18 years of age
• Students will be required to have regular access to a computer and internet access to complete this course

See Learner Handbook for further details

Course Delivery

• Introduction webinar to meet the trainer and learn about what to expect from the course (1 hour)
• 2 x 2-hour webinars for each module of the qualification (10 modules – 40 hours in total).
• Additional self-paced WHS & Health Body Systems modules (no webinar associated with these).
• Prework in your own time for each module through CoAssemble
• Paper-based assessments in your own time after each module
• You will be required to undertake a variety of assessments, and at least 120 hours of workplace activities.

Completion Options

MHCC offers a variety of course completion options for you to undertake the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work.

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) – full recognition
This option is most suited to workers with current industry experience of 5 or more years and with extensive specific knowledge and skill in the competence contained in the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work. Students are assessed on a case-by-case basis.

Partial recognition/blended pathway
This option is most suited to workers with current industry experience of 2 or more years with knowledge and skill in the competencies contained in the Certificate IV in Mental Health Peer Work. Students will complete some units by recognition, some by assessment.

Units of Competency

Qualification Fees

You may be eligible for a fee reduction or exemption dependent on your current circumstances and/or previous experience.

Find out more

“Reflecting on experience I had at work, this training could have solved a lot of the heartache I had along the way. This is going to propel the peer workforce”