By Emily Roach, Paws in Work guest blogger.
Mental Health First Aid Training in the workplace is on the verge of becoming a legal requirement to improve employee wellbeing. According to Deloitte, poor mental health can cost UK employers up to £45 billion per year. Many people have found this past year to be extremely challenging, especially if they’ve been isolating alone, adapting to remote working has also been a significant shift in routine. For some people, work is their main source of human interaction and they can experience mental effects from this being cut-off. Now more than ever, it is essential for people to comprehend how to look after their mental health, especially whilst at work.
In light of stress awareness month, we wanted to reiterate that we offer a range of MHFA England accredited courses and workshops to equip you with the tools and knowledge needed for understanding how mental health can affect us, and how to potentially save someone’s life.
be aware.
Did you know that 1 in 4 adults will be diagnosed with a mental health challenge in their lifetime, but arguably all of us will experience symptoms of a decline in our mental health at some point in our life due to traumatic life events but will often go undiagnosed? This course offers a clear introduction to understanding mental health; it revolves around being mindful of learning how to look after your own mental wellbeing as well as having a basic understanding of some of the most common mental health issues. You’ll also learn how best to help someone if they reach out to you for advice regarding their mental health. This is an online course and can be completed in a 4 hour session or 2 x 2 hour sessions.
champion.
Learning to become a Mental Health ‘Champion’ will allow you to further your understanding of mental health challenges, teach you how to spot the early warning signs of someone who is experiencing a decline in their mental health and gain the ability to advocate positive mental wellbeing. This course is ideal for those who are passionate about mental health and want to end the stigma attached on talking about it; it’s offered in both an online or face-to-face format and can be completed in a 7 hour session or 2 x 3.5 hour sessions.
first aider.
Becoming a Mental Health First Aider (MHFA) means you’ll be the first point of contact if someone would like to seek guidance concerning their mental health, or they might just want someone to confide in. This course will teach you skills such as spotting the signs and triggers of mental health issues and how to offer your support and listen to someone who wants to express their feelings, whilst learning how to signpost to next steps be that a professional or a more holistic approach. This course teaches potential life saving skills and is great for those who want to represent the importance of mental health awareness and make a change within their community / workplace / home. The First Aider course can be online or face-to-face with durations of 2 x 7 hour sessions or 4 x 3.5 hour sessions.
manager training.
If you’re a manager and you’re looking to expand your knowledge on mental health and incorporate employee wellbeing programmes within your workplace, this is the course for you. Managers who actively support their employee’s mental health through difficult times and encourage them to thrive will lead to a happier workplace and an increase in productivity. You are taught how best to approach an employee if they may be presenting signs of poor mental health, how to support positive wellbeing, encourage employees to talk freely and safely about their challenges, promote self-care whilst leading by example, and how to support your team on finding further support. This course is a 7 hour session and can be online or face-to-face.
refresher.
Just like physical first aid, mental health first aid training should be updated every few years. The refresher course will help you keep up with the latest training techniques and information on mental wellbeing. This course will help you practice what you’ve previously learnt and is only applicable to Mental Health Champions or MHFA’s. You’ll have up-to-date awareness on what influences someone’s mental health and how to offer support, as well as putting the ‘Mental Health First Aid Action Plan’ into practice. This course is a 4 hour session and can be online or face-to-face.
workshops & topic talks.
Our workshops & topic talks are designed for educating you / your team on specific topics of mental health; they help workplaces focus on specific areas which can become part of your wellbeing strategy. Workshops are currently online only and can host up to 25 people, with an unlimited number of participants for topic talks. Workshops are 3 hours in duration and topic talks last for 1 hour per session.
register for a course with us.
As many of us prepare for returning to the office as restrictions slowly ease, now is the perfect time to learn more about looking after your own mental health and how to help others at work. As well as our puppy therapy sessions, you can check out our upcoming mental health training courses in further detail here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/paws-in-work-30748110590 .
For a quote on company/group bookings email bookings@pawsinwork.com to find out more.
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