Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch Inc

Wellbeing for the dental team

The mental health and wellbeing of our dentist members and their teams matters.

We need to be proactive in caring for ourselves and seeking help from appropriate sources when things aren’t feeling good.

There are a number of supports and resources available:

Our ADAVB Member Assistance Program, provided by TELUS Health (formerly Lifeworks):

Phone services: To make an appointment, or for phone counselling 24/7, call 1300 361 008.
For online services click here.

Dental Practitioner Support, provided by Ahpra:

You can call 24/7 for free advice and support on 1800 377 700, or
Submit an online enquiry dpsupport.org.au/contact-us.

Mindful Smiles Hub, specifically made with members of the dental team in mind, this is a one stop shop with links to a plethora of resources and other ways to receive information and support.

Become a certified Mental Health First Aider. Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training is a 12-hour, standardised course. It includes:

12 hours of scientific CPD (appropriate for all practice staff, and other health professionals)
Mental Health First Aid manual
Certificate of attendance and accreditation as a Mental Health First Aider.

Like (physical) First Aid training, Mental Health First Aid training equips participants to assist others during a crisis, as well as improve discourse around mental health issues, reduce stigma and misinformation, and promote steps and pathways to support.

The courses are presented by Dr Katy Theodore (she/her), the Advocacy Lead at the Australian Dental Association Victorian Branch. Katy is a registered dentist with experience in public and private settings and a licensed MHFA instructor.

This course is being delivered thanks to funding from the Victorian Government.

There are three options for course attendance:

Register for yourself and/or your staff to attend a 2-day face-to-face training at the ADAVB offices in South Yarra, or
Engage the instructor to come to your workplace or another suitable location to run the program (suitable for 6-24 people), or
Complete the training entirely online with 7 hours of self-paced e-learning modules followed by two live and interactive, small group 2.5 hour video conferencing sessions (spaced at least one week apart) with the instructor.