Have you ever asked someone if they're okay and they've said, "Well, no, actually."
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If so, you'll be familiar with that moment of panic when you wonder, "What do I do now?"
Knowing what to say and do in those circumstances doesn't always come naturally, and - given the last year or so - more and more "accidental counsellors" are finding they need support themselves, even as they give it to others.
That's where TAFE NSW can help.
A one-day course held every month or so aims to help ordinary citizens know what to do when someone says they're not okay.
And it doesn't matter whether you're closest TAFE is Moss Vale, Goulburn, Yass or Queanbeyan, the course is online via video conferencing, so you can do it all from the comfort of home.
"People talk to people in the moment, who are not necessarily professionals, and this course supports that, and helps these 'accidental counsellors' travel well through it," said TAFE NSW teacher Rochelle Armstrong.
She said they had seen demand for such skills skyrocket since the Black Summer bushfires.
"There's been such a demand, partly around when the bushfires were peaking, and now, of course, we're in the state the world is in," she said.
"So more and more people are experiencing trauma and distress, and there's been a massive demand and increased need for these skills."
The Statement of Attainment in Accidental Counselling offers basic counselling skills to residents who are not trained mental health professionals but often find themselves thrust into a "de facto counselling" role by friends, family, colleagues or clients.
"The course concentrates on building self-awareness and how we respond and stay present in that moment," said Ms Armstrong.
"It gives us skills for how to manage our own fears, then some basic counselling skills, then some steps to follow and then referral options."
She said they were practical, hands-on skills that would stay with students for life and be adaptable to both personal and professional situations.
Other topics covered by the course include limit setting and boundaries, dealing with crisis, debriefing and self-care.
Ms Armstrong said the course had been delivered to hundreds of people now, with many businesses offering it to their staff en masse, and she hoped to see it run in schools in the future.
"I'm to super-passionate about getting basic counselling skills out to everyone, because we need to be human to humans," she said.
"These skills might be something we have always somehwat lacked, but now communities are falling away, and we don't have time for neighbourly chats any more, we especially need help with it."
- The next Accidental Counselling course will be held on Wednesday, June 9. For more information call 131 601 or visit www.tafensw.edu.au.
