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Looking After Our Staff: Mental Health First Aid Training
Posted: 17/02/2020
Two members of our team Cheryl Philbin, Head of Communications and Claire Smith, Head of Ecommerce, have recently attended a two- day training course in ‘Mental Health First Aid Training’.
The course was conducted by MHFA England. MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) is a social enterprise that offers expert guidance and training, to support mental health. The MHFA’s ethos is striving to improve the mental health of the nation via means of training, campaigning and re- investing. The MHFA believe in zero stigma surrounding mental health, and ultimately want to create a society where everyone has the capability to thrive.
The overall goal of the course is to equip attendees with the relevant skills to support their own and others wellbeing. The first aid training that Claire and Cheryl received over the two days, now allows them to help and support individuals who may be struggling with mental health issues.
The course delved into topics such as: depression, suicide, anxiety disorders, psychosis, self- harm, eating disorders, stigma and discrimination and more. Each topic was broken down further to discuss what each condition actually is, the risk factors that could be involved, what the first aid practices include, and ultimately how it can affect people in the workplace.
Claire Smith commented “This course was hugely insightful, and it is great to know that we now have the correct skills to help our staff. We hope now that staff can feel that bit more at ease, knowing that they have other members of staff that they can come to with any issues that they may have surrounding mental health.”
Cheryl Philbin commented “I thoroughly enjoyed the two-day course with MHFA, and learnt a great deal in such a short space of time. This type of training is a huge step forward in helping to tackle mental health issues in the work place. I know that Claire and I are thrilled to be able to play a part”.
It is of upmost importance to us that our staff feel safe and comfortable when they come into work every day, and it’s imperative that our staff have full confidence in us, knowing that there is no stigma surrounding the topic of mental health.
A massive thank you and congratulations to Claire and Cheryl!