TasTAFE
12 months or less
This Certificate IV equips people with lived experience of mental health challenges to work professionally as peer workers, supporting others through their recovery journey. Combining personal resilience with formal training in trauma-informed care, peer work practices, and mental health support, graduates are prepared for meaningful careers in community and clinical mental health settings.
Applicants must be 18 years or above at course commencement. A National Police Check from Service Tasmania and Working with Vulnerable People check (Volunteer) are required. All applicants must complete a face-to-face pre-enrolment assessment on campus to evaluate Language, Literacy, Numeracy, and Digital (LLN&D) skills. A one-on-one conversation with a teacher will follow to discuss course structure, expectations, and your readiness to begin. Learners should be in a place of recovery and feel comfortable sharing their own stories and hearing others' experiences, as the course includes emotionally challenging content.
The course covers core competencies in peer work and mental health support. Core units include: Working with diverse people, working effectively in trauma-informed care, promoting and facilitating self-advocacy, assessing and promoting social, emotional and physical wellbeing, applying peer work practices in the mental health sector, contributing to continuous improvement of mental health services, applying lived experience in mental health peer work, and participating in workplace health and safety. Elective units include recognising and responding to crisis situations, responding effectively to behaviours of concern, supporting independence and wellbeing, facilitating community participation and social inclusion, and working effectively in consumer mental health peer work and with carers. A minimum of 100-120 hours of supervised work placement in mental health services or community settings is compulsory.
TasTAFE is Tasmania's leading vocational education provider with extensive experience in health and community services training. The institution offers comprehensive student support services, flexible study options, and strong industry connections. TasTAFE's commitment to recognising prior learning and providing tailored support ensures students receive quality education aligned with real-world workplace requirements in the mental health sector.
Graduates can pursue careers as Mental Health Peer Workers, Peer Mentors, Advocacy Workers, Carer Consultants, Youth Peer Workers, Consumer Representatives, Peer Education Officers, and Aboriginal Peer Workers. These roles are available across public, private, and community-managed mental health services, NGOs, peer-run support services, and residential or outreach mental health programs. The qualification provides formal recognition for existing peer work roles and opens pathways to further study in mental health, counselling, or community services.
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