Why train managers first?
Because they're usually the first to see it and the ones who can change something. A manager sets the workload, approves the leave and notices the person who's stopped turning their camera on. A colleague can offer support, but a manager can also change the conditions.
Most managers also get promoted for being good at something else. They were the best engineer, nurse or account lead. Then one day someone on their team says they're not coping, and nobody ever showed them what to do next. That's not a character flaw. It's a skills gap, and it's fixable.
It's a common situation too. The ABS found that 21.5% of Australians aged 16 to 85 experienced a mental disorder in the previous 12 months. In a team of 10, odds are this will come up.
Does training managers actually work?
There's solid evidence for it. In a randomised trial at Fire and Rescue NSW, published in The Lancet Psychiatry in 2017, 88 managers responsible for close to 4,000 staff were split into two groups. One group did a four-hour mental health training program. Six months later, work-related sick leave had fallen 18% among staff whose managers were trained, while it rose 10% in the other group. The researchers put the return at $9.98 for every dollar spent.
Two cautions. That was one program in one organisation, a frontline service with its own pressures, so don't assume you'd get the same number. It also wasn't Mental Health First Aid. For Mental Health First Aid, a 2018 review of 18 trials found better knowledge and confidence, and a small increase in the help people actually gave, clearest in the six months after training. Outcomes for the people being helped are less clear.
What should it cover?
Whatever you choose, I'd look for these:
- What to look for, especially changes from someone's usual self
- How to start the conversation, and what to do if they don't want to talk
- How to respond if someone tells you something serious, including thoughts of suicide
- Where the manager's role stops, because they aren't a counsellor
- How to connect people with your EAP, a GP or other support
- How to keep performance conversations and wellbeing conversations straight
- How workload, role clarity and support affect psychosocial risk
If a course has no practice in it, I'd keep looking. Knowing what to say and actually getting the words out are very different things. I've written a separate guide on how to talk to an employee about their mental health.
What are the options in Australia?
| Option | Good for | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Free NSW workshops (Black Dog Institute) | A first step for eligible NSW workplaces | "Managing for Team Wellbeing" is a 3-hour session or about 2 hours online, for private businesses under 200 staff and not-for-profits |
| Short manager courses | Individual managers on a budget | St John NSW lists a one-day course at $205, with a certificate of completion |
| Mental Health First Aid | Accredited skills across a whole leadership group | Covers specific conditions and crises, with accreditation for three years. It's not manager-specific, so bring your management examples to it |
I deliver the third one, so weigh my view accordingly. I think it suits a group of leaders who'll need to handle real situations, because it goes further into what to do in a crisis. If you only need to raise awareness, a shorter session could be enough.
Is manager training enough on its own?
No. If the workload is impossible, a kinder conversation about it won't fix it. NSW employers have to manage psychosocial risks, starting with how work is designed, and the approved code of practice has been legally binding since 1 July 2026. Training helps managers notice and respond. It doesn't remove the hazard, and managers need somewhere to take what they find.
They also need looking after. Being the person everyone brings things to is heavy, so make sure they know where to go themselves.
How do you make it stick?
Don't treat it as a one-off. The effects in the research are clearest in the first six months, so plan something for after that. Talk about real scenarios in leadership meetings. Check managers know exactly how your EAP works. Ask what patterns they're seeing, then act on them.
I run Mental Health First Aid in person for leadership groups and teams, at $4,950 + GST for up to 15 people. We use a 15-minute planning call to shape the examples around the situations your managers actually face.