ask the
EXPERT
Mental Health First Aid signs of someone who’s struggling, get the right support in place in good time and thereby minimise the impact on day-to-day living for the benefit of both the employee and the employer. What’s more, providing mental health support makes employees feel valued, which in turn promotes loyalty, commitment and motivation. As an MHFA instructor how do you approach what could be a sensitive topic?
What experience do you have in Mental Health First Aid training? I am a registered instructor with MHFA England delivering on-line and classroombased MHFA-certificated courses, training people to act as that first port-of-call, like a physical first aider, but for mental health. I’m also a qualified teacher with 35 years’ experience in training adults and young adults in a wide range of contexts. Why does my business need Mental Health First Aid? 17.9 million work days were lost due to mental health issues in 2019/20 in the UK; that’s an average absence of 21.6 days per year, per employee, suffering with stress, anxiety or depression (hse.gov.uk). As you can see, when mental health issues are not well supported, your business also takes a hit. Having well-trained Mental Health First Aiders can help to identify the warning
18 connected
It’s important to understand and recognise that we all have different histories when it comes to education and, for some people, just being in a learning environment can be stressful. Understanding how adults learn and what the barriers to learning might be is fundamental, but mental health training has particular challenges. We must be aware that participants in mental health training may find some of the content highly emotive and that some issues can be triggering for those with ‘lived experience’ of mental health. Many come to training because they have their own experiences and want to help others. As a trainer I need to be aware that someone’s experience may influence their views on what helps with a given issue. Of course, everyone’s experience is different so what helps one person may not be the right approach for another and a First Aider has to be mindful of that. What is the role of a Mental Health First Aider? Just like physical first aid the main priority is to preserve life and provide support
until professional help can be sought. It’s not a First Aider’s job to diagnose but to offer a non-judgemental listening ear and to signpost to information and sources of professional support. A well-trained Mental Health First Aider will be able to spot the warning signs and know how to approach someone to begin a conversation. They can also provide information to help the business adopt positive approaches in support of employee well-being. What do Mental Health First Aiders say? Many Mental Health First Aiders claim that this is the most important course they have done. “This course was the best course by far I have ever been on.”“Excellent course which provides a really solid knowledge base together with good case study examples.”“This course has really opened my eyes to a subject I thought I had some understanding of.” How can I arrange Mental Health First Aid training for my organisation? If you’d like to know more about MHFA England there is comprehensive information on their website. If you’d like to know more about the training and how to sign up, please contact Teresa Weston tweston.consultancy@gmail.com 07900 888954. Bespoke training and discounted rates are available for charities and not-for-profit organisations. If you’ve been following the extensive mental health debate throughout the pandemic and want to help, then considering Mental Health First Aid is an ideal place to start.
