Education & Training
Established on 1 July 2025, PYMHWS is Victoria’s first dedicated public mental health service for young people aged 12–25. We are committed to developing a skilled, compassionate youth mental health workforce that is equipped to meet the unique developmental, clinical and cultural needs of young people and their families, carers, supporters and kin. Through a strong partnership with Orygen, we ensure that research, evidence and best-practice strengthen our system and our work.
PYMHWS Clinical Training Program
Funded by the Victorian Department of Health, the PYMHWS Clinical Training Program offers affordable, high-quality training and service development support for mental health practitioners across Victoria’s youth mental health sector, including area mental health services.
We provide:
- A calendar of workshops integrating the latest research and best-practice approaches
- Team and service-based learning opportunities
- Training delivered by senior clinicians and clinical educators with extensive experience in tertiary and youth-focused mental health care
Email: ymhtraining@pymhws.org.au
Workshops
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Essentials Of Youth Mental Health
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) provides an overview of early intervention principles and core components in youth mental health care. Young people often present with complex and severe difficulties, requiring practitioners to engage them and their families sensitively, holistically, and collaboratively. The training focuses on strategies to deliver safe, inclusive care that supports recovery and functional outcomes.
Monday 9 & Tuesday 10 February 2026
Autistic Young People With Co-Occurring Mental Health Difficulties: Understanding And Adapting
Autistic young people experience mental health difficulties at a higher rate than the general population. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) explores features of autism spectrum disorder in young people, identification pathways, and common co-occurring mental health conditions. Participants will learn engagement strategies, risk considerations, and therapeutic adaptations to support Autistic young people and their families.
Monday 23 & Tuesday 24 February 2026
Group Work In Youth Mental Health: Facilitating With Purpose
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) equips participants with practical skills and frameworks to design, deliver, and evaluate therapeutic and psychosocial groups. Through discussion, reflection, and real-world scenarios, participants will learn to create purposeful group spaces, manage dynamics, and address common challenges.
Wednesday 25 February 2026
Relational Formulation: A Team-Based Approach To Understanding Complexity In Youth Mental Health
Supporting young people with severe and complex mental health difficulties – such as personality disorders and eating disorders – can present significant challenges for clinicians and multidisciplinary teams. These challenges can lead to feelings of being “stuck” and reinforce unhelpful patterns. This evidence-based, experiential (e.g., role plays) workshop introduces a relational model to help teams reflect, formulate, and respond more effectively, promoting collaborative and constructive care.
Thursday 19 & Friday 20 March 2026
CBT Skills For Youth Mental Health: An Introduction
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) introduces the application of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) informed skills in youth mental health practice. CBT is an evidence-based approach effective across a range of conditions affecting young people. The training focuses on using CBT principles and interventions to support young people experiencing anxiety and depression, with practical strategies to address distress, unhelpful thinking and behavioural patterns.
Monday 23 & Monday 30 March 2026
Monday 7 & Monday 14 September 2026
Substance Use And Youth Mental Health: Working With Reality
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) builds knowledge and practical skills for addressing substance use within youth mental health practice. Participants will learn how to assess substance use, understand its impact on mental health, and integrate evidence-based interventions into care. The training also explores strategies to reduce stigma and improve engagement through clinical case examples.
Wednesday 22 April 2026
Thursday 22 October 2026
Young People Who Use Violence, Aggression Or Who Are Justice-Involved: Understanding And Responding Helpfully
Young people in the justice system experience high rates of mental health difficulties and neurodiversity. Mental health clinicians increasingly encounter young people who use violence or display other challenging behaviours. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) provides an overview of the Victorian Youth Justice system, explores the drivers of problem behaviours, and examines their connection to mental ill-health. Participants will learn strategies for screening forensic risk, formulating behaviours, and planning effective interventions.
Tuesday 5 May 2026
Wednesday 11 November 2026
Suicide And Self Harm Risk In Young People: Understanding And Adapting Our Practice
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) addresses contemporary approaches to assessing and responding to suicide and self-harm risk in young people with complex presentations. Participants will learn practical techniques using models such as the CASE approach and SafeSide Pisani risk formulation, emphasizing prevention over prediction.
Wednesday 6 & Thursday 7 May, 2026
Early Intervention For Personality Disorder
Personality disorders, including borderline personality disorder (BPD), are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Despite this, clinicians often feel uncertain about the rationale for early intervention and may find these presentations challenging. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) reviews current evidence on personality disorders in young people and introduces a best-practice model for early intervention, including strategies for working with families and managing complex clinical challenges.
Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May 2026
Wednesday 16 & Thursday 17 September 2026
CBT For Psychosis With Young People
This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) introduces the application of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) principles when working with young people experiencing psychosis. CBT for psychosis is strongly supported by research and recommended in international treatment guidelines. The training focuses on adapting CBT approaches for young people early in the course of psychosis, with practical strategies for engagement and intervention.
Monday 27 April & Monday 4 May 2026
Monday 12 October & Monday 19 October 2026
Cognitive Difficulties In Young People With Co-occurring Mental Health Difficulties: Recognising And Adapting Our Practice
Many young people experiencing mental health difficulties also present with cognitive impairments, yet clinicians often feel uncertain about how to respond effectively. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) combines research insights with practical strategies for clinical application. Participants will learn how to identify cognitive difficulties, use screening tools, determine when to refer for specialist assessment, and adapt clinical practice to meet individual needs. We recommend attending both this workshop and the workshop on “Recognising and supporting speech, language and communication needs in young people with co-occurring mental health difficulties” scheduled on 16 June, 2026.
Tuesday 2 June 2026
Speech, Language And Communication Needs In Young People With Co-Occurring Mental Health Difficulties: Recognising And Adapting Practice
Many young people with mental health difficulties have underlying speech, language, and communication needs that often go undetected and unsupported. These challenges can significantly impact treatment effectiveness and functional outcomes. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) focuses on identifying communication needs, understanding their impact on mental health, knowing when to refer for specialist assessment, and applying practical strategies to adapt communication and interventions in clinical practice. We recommend attending both this workshop and the workshop on “Recognising and adapting our practice for young people with co-occurring mental health and cognitive difficulties” scheduled on 2 June, 2026.
Tuesday 16 June 2026
Bipolar In Young People: An Introduction To Psychological Interventions
This evidence based workshop will focus on the theory and practice of providing psychological interventions for young people with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder. Focussing on research evidence and clinical examples, it is designed to give clinicians confidence in undertaking psychological work for people experiencing a disorder that has traditionally been seen as largely biological in nature.
Young People From Refugee And Asylum Seeker Backgrounds: Engaging In Mental Health Settings
Young people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds experience disproportionate mental health vulnerabilities and social inequities yet access mental health care at lower rates than their peers. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) focuses on reducing barriers to care and increasing awareness of enablers for responsive and equitable service delivery. Participants will explore the impact of forced migration, settlement experiences, and trauma-informed principles to enhance culturally safe practice.
Thursday 13 August 2026
ADHD In Young People With Co-Occurring Mental Health Difficulties: Understanding And Adapting Practice
ADHD is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders, typically emerging before age 12, and can significantly impact a young person’s participation in school, family, and community life. This evidence-based, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) explores the aetiology, screening, assessment, diagnosis, and intervention strategies for ADHD, with a strong focus on collaboration with families, schools, and support services to improve outcomes.
Wednesday 9 & Thursday 10 September 2026
Engaging Families In Youth Mental Health: A Lived Experience Lens
Evidence shows that recovery outcomes for young people improve when families, carers, and supporters are actively involved in care. Despite this, family inclusion remains inconsistent, often due to barriers and resistance. This co-designed, experiential workshop (e.g., role plays) – co-presented by a Family Work Clinician and Family Peer Worker – focuses on practical strategies for implementing family-inclusive practice, addressing common challenges, and supporting engagement even when young people are reluctant to involve their families.
Thursday 17 September 2026
