As a business owner or director, it is essential that your employees are equipped with the knowledge and skills needed to support their mental health. Mental Health First Aid Training at Park City can help you do just that! This training will equip your team with the skills they need to recognize signs of distress in themselves and others, as well as provide them with techniques to effectively manage mental health challenges.
What is mental health first aid?
Mental Health First aid helps you support someone who is going through a mental health crisis in the workplace, this includes:
- Managing and mitigating risks of harm in the workplace
- Consider more than physical health in workplace risk assessment
- Supporting people at work with mental health issues
- Treat mental health in a similar way to physical health
What is the role of a Mental Health First Aider?
As a mental health first aider, the responsibilities of the role can vary based on the extent of their training. This is a very similar role to a first aider, except the focus is on issues affecting mental health, rather than physical health.
- Recognise when someone is experiencing mental health problems
- Listen without judgement to your colleagues’ issues
- Support and encourage the individual to seek treatment
- Know the right time to refer the colleague to a specialist
- Encourage employees to talk openly about mental health issues
The key role is to spot signs in employees who might be struggling with their mental health and to provide support to these individuals when they need it most. Trained Mental health first aiders can be offered to an individual who wants support and help at work and has been identified as someone is struggling to cope with an ongoing mental health battle.
The role of the mental health first aider isn’t to provide a clinical diagnosis, nor a replacement for treatment. This person is a point of contact and reassurance for those of are struggling. The role can also provide the individual with the resources and contact for professional help.
Is having mental health first aiders a legal requirement?
Mental Health First Aiders in the workplace is a recommendation, not legislation. However, it is the employer’s responsibility to have a legal obligation for the health & safety of their employees. This includes an employee’s emotional and mental wellbeing. If any employee is struggling with mental health issues, the employer must take this seriously as they have a duty of care for the safety of their employees.
How many mental health first aiders do I need in my business?
We suggest you have 1 mental health first aider for every 10 employees within your business. The role of the mental health first aider is to be able to recognise signs that a colleague is struggling with their mental health and to be there to offer support.
What impact does poor mental health have in the workplace?
Without sufficient support, mental health can affect an individual’s performance at work and overall confidence and motivation. Did you know the largest cause of sickness absence in the workplace is due to depression, stress and anxiety?
What are the benefits of encouraging employees to participate in mental health first aid?
By encouraging employees to participate in mental health first aid training, you can create an environment that promotes positive mental health and supports individuals dealing with issues related to mental health.
The training offers the opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the causes of stress and how it affects behaviour, as well as remove the stigma around mental health in the workplace.
- Raise awareness around mental health
- Understand problems in the workplace as a result of mental health
- Remove stigma around mental health
- Recognise when someone you work with is struggling with mental health issues
- Know how to support employees when they are struggling with mental health issues
What action should I take?
Mental health is a leading reason for sickness absences in the UK, each month hundreds of employees lose their jobs due to mental health-related issues. As a result, employers are looking for innovative ways to support the emotional well-being of their colleagues. Park City’s HR specialists work with UK employers across all areas of employee relations and human resources. We are here to ensure you have the right roles and processes in place to support your employees with mental health issues. For expert advice for mental health and wellbeing in the workplace, contact Park City Consulting today.
Park City Consulting’s Level 2 Mental Health Training provides basic knowledge and modules to equip attendees with the fundamentals they need to understand mental health in the workplace. Our Level 3 Mental Health training builds on this foundation, taking a deeper dive into the subject over two days. Our classroom-based learning environment encourages delegates to interact and participate in our hands-on learning experience. Visit our training calendar to learn about our upcoming training courses at Park City.
