Overview
Who is this for?
Team leaders or managers who would like to support employees.
Why should I take part?
Each year approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health condition and at least 1 in 6 employees experience common mental health problems in the workplace. Research has shown that work is the biggest cause of stress which can stop people performing at their best.
A reported 15.4 million working days are lost due to stress, anxiety and depression. Furthermore, mental health conditions are often hidden due to stigma and fear of discrimination and research has shown that a culture of fear and silence around mental health is costly to employers, so the true figure is unknown.
Mental health is more important than ever at the moment, with 67% of people reporting higher stress levels since the Covid-19 outbreak and 75% feeling more socially isolated than they did before.
How will it help me?
This session will provide understanding of
- What is mental health
- Role of a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA)
- Provide advice and practical support as a MHFA
- How to start a supportive conversation
- Know when to signpost a person to seek professional help
- Basic awareness of a range of mental health conditions
- Understand how to recognise and manage stress
- Recognise a range of mental health conditions and the impact of substance abuse
- Implement a first aid action plan for mental health
- Understand the basics of a positive mental health culture in the workplace
Delegate from Cardiff University who attended the November course gave the following testimonial:
"The reason we enrolled to the course was driven by Covid and the impact it is having on so many people.
It enabled me to realise that we are being more reactive than proactive.
It was reassuring that the support we offer and signpost is supportive and ‘correct’. However, understanding the steps to be more reactive, understanding the signs and/or behaviours that something may be wrong, however small. The confidence in progressing a ‘how are you?’ conversation. As an organisation we have a great Employee Assistance Programme but the course made me realise that as a department we rely on this and need to do more as a team to break stigma and it showed tools which will be really useful as we go forward.
Something which I hadn’t anticipated it including or that would be part of being a mental health first aider was ensuring you care for your own mental health and well-being and how to do this.
We have already starting putting steps in place to create a psychologically secure environment. I believe these steps will result in wider benefits by creating a confident team who will feel safe and confident to speak up and feel listened to, not just about mental health but also with innovation and work practices.
I would recommend every organisation should have mental health first alders."
This is an online session with a limited number of places available. Delegates will need access to a laptop or PC with a microphone and web camera to participate in this interactive course. Attendees will receive a link to the session and a downloadable participant pack
This virtual course runs on the 2nd and 3rd of July (9:30am-1:30pm each day).
