Counting on U
Embark on your Counting on U journey now.
Embark on a transformative journey with Deakin Business School's Counting on U (CoU) program – an extraordinary opportunity for client-facing accounting professionals in Australia and New Zealand.
This unique course is tailored to empower you with the insights and expertise needed to enhance both the financial and mental well-being of your clients. By joining us, you'll not only enrich your professional toolkit but also prioritize your own wellness. Embrace this chance to make a lasting impact on your career and the lives you touch. Apply now and be part of a profound change in the world of accounting and mental health support.
What is Counting on U and why is it important for your practice?
Deakin Business School’s Counting on U (CoU) is an evidence-based training program for business finance professionals across New Zealand and Australia looking to develop the skills to build long-term, trusting relationships, navigate difficult client or customer conversations and look after themselves whilst supporting their clients and colleagues.
The program upskills participants by integrating Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) training with client relationship-centred communication and interpersonal skills to support the business and mental health-related needs of their clients, whilst protecting their own well-being.
Partnering with HumanEx, the project delivered training to 160+ participants over 100 training and one-on-one coaching sessions.
In 2023, backed by two years’ worth of encouraging research outcomes and enriched with participant and trainer feedback, CoU is expanding beyond the research program to be relevant to all client-facing business professionals. We are proud to be the sole licensee for the delivery of CoU in New Zealand.
Besides training individuals in our off-the-shelf CoU program, we also offer custom-designed Counting on U modules tailored to your organisation’s needs.
The full Counting on U program takes a total of fourteen hours and consists of:
- Pre-work: To be completed prior to related sessions. Includes 30 minutes of RBT pre-reading and 5-7 hours of self-paced online MHFA™ modules.
- Week 1: RBT virtual client relationship building classroom zoom session (2 hours).*
- Week 2: MHFA™ virtual classroom zoom sessions x two (3 hours each)
- Week 6: Booster virtual classroom zoom session (1 hour)
Both RBT and MHFA™ modules (e-learning and virtual classroom) include assessment quizzes.
*The 2hr RBT module can be completed as a stand-alone module.
Please note: You are not eligible to receive any RPL credit from the Deakin Faculty of Business and Law if you choose only to complete the RBT module.
What you’ll learn
The client Relationship Building Training (RBT) module provides participants with a useful framework to identify and refine interpersonal skills needed to have empathetic, often difficult, conversations about mental health and financial wellbeing.
Some of the difficult conversations explored include deep-diving into underlying issues, handling verbal aggression, and handling upset or distressed clients. The overall goal of RBT is to help you get even better at developing longer-term, trusting and mutually beneficial relationships with your clients.
Learning outcomes:
- Improve knowledge of how to build trust with clients.
- Develop the skills required to have conversations with clients. experiencing financial and psychological distress and/or uncover underlying issues.
- Improve self-awareness to better support clients.
- Increase self-care skills.
The Mental Health First Aid® (MHFA™) module teaches participants how to identify and provide support to those with the most common mental health conditions until they are able to seek professional help.
Learning outcomes:
- Improve knowledge of mental health conditions, their treatments and appropriate first aid strategies.
- Improve confidence in providing first aid to a person experiencing a mental health condition.
- Decrease stigmatising attitudes.
- Increase the amount and type of support provided to others.
The Booster further consolidates these skills by giving participants a chance to debrief with a trained expert, practice more scenarios and activities, and learn from each other through sharing of knowledge and experiences.
Professional endorsements
Upon successful course completion, participants will receive MHFA™ digital accreditation (valid for three years and recognised globally) and an email acknowledging course completion, which participants can use when submitting for CPD points*. Participants also receive a 0.5 Deakin unspecified course credit towards Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) into a Faculty of Business & Law post-graduate degree, including the Deakin MBA.
* Members of Chartered Accountants Australia New Zealand, Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, CPA Australia; members and Deakin alumni also receive a discount on the program fee.
How to start your journey with Humanex
Select Your Package
Choose your training package, register and pay. You'll receive a Welcome Pack 1 week prior to the RBT zoom session.
Pre-Reading for RBT
Complete pre- reading for RBT (<1hr) and 5-7hrs self-paced online MHFATM module prior to attending online workshops.
Join Virtual Workshop
Participate in our 2-hour RBT online workshop via Zoom and enhance your skills from the comfort of your home.
Learning Opportunities
Participate in MHFATM #1 and #2 virtual workshops, each lasting 3 hours, for a comprehensive learning experience.
Elevate Your Expertise
After six weeks, participate in a 1-hour Booster Session conducted online to further enhance your skills.
What clients say about Humanex
Words by Lindsay Kernohan
The power of the COU programme is that it is a wrap around course, not only providing knowledge & learning around identifying the signs of possible mental health challenges, but more importantly providing the tools and confidence to have meaningful conversations with people about how they are doing, and supporting them to get the help they need. A key skill covered is active listening, something which is critical to ensuring that we hold space for others and can fully understand what is going on for them. The opportunity to practice this, and other key skills, in a safe environment, discussing and sharing within your group is critical to building confidence to enable participants to put their learning into action straightaway and a make difference.
Qualified MHFA™ Instructor | HumanEx
