Mental Health First Aid Training
April 15, 2020
Most employers typically have trained First Aid responders in the workplace, dedicated persons assigned to be first on the scene in the event of a physical health issue, incident or accident. But what about mental health, do you have First Aiders to help in this area? Do you have trained employees that would feel confident in helping someone, who could spot the early signs of a mental health problem, prevent someone from hurting themselves or assist in a programme of recovery and support when a colleague becomes ill or absent with a mental health issue.
Awareness of Mental Health issues has become prevalent in the workplace recently and with approximately 1 in 4 people in the UK experiencing a mental health problem each year; it is becoming a growing concern. Therefore, having employees trained with knowledge of mental health and available to assist when required can be as valuable as having physical First Aid responders.
In light of this, Reel Service Ltd has taken the initiative to place selected employees on a two day Mental Health First Aid course which has taught them how to identify, understand and look for the warning signs of a mental illness. This will not only help those within the workplace, but will equip the individual with mental health awareness across their family and social life too. The course provides skills to assist in having non-judgmental conversations; train to recognise symptoms and help provide information on how to assist those experiencing mental health problems.
Key topics covered in the course include:
- Mental health and depression
- Suicidal crisis
- Anxiety
- Personality disorders
- Eating disorders
- Self-harm
- Psychosis
- Schizophrenia
- Bipolar disorder
Our employees had the following positive comments following the training.
“I volunteered for the Mental Health First Aid course as I felt I had a lack of understanding about the subject and felt it could only improve my knowledge and understanding of all things related to mental health. I learned that poor mental health can affect anybody, and there are many symptoms and different ways that people can be affected by it.”
“I wanted to understand about the different types of mental health issues and how they might affect my staff. The course gave me the confidence to reach out to those who maybe struggling and need someone to listen to them.”
Reel Service continues to train Physical Health First Aiders and Mental Health First Aiders as well as promote the companies Employee Assistance Programme which offers support in every area of life from financial and legal to employee well-being and counselling services.
All of this aims to provide a caring, supportive working environment where the well being of our greatest asset, our hard-working dedicated staff is fully supported.
