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does anybody do the above role? went on my first aid refresher and apparently it will become law in the next couple of years to have at least 1 person in the workplace.
As most things its just going to be a box ticking exercise for the workplace, but if you are a mental health first aider, have you actually had to deal with anything? and what does it involve in practice.
Subscribed as I’m also interested to hear
apparently it will become law in the next couple of years to have at least 1 person in the workplace
Source?
We do it at work - about half our staff have completed it, alongside our usual first aid. But then we are in schools and early years settings daily so it makes some sense.
I found it a *little* bit box tick, but also found some useful insight into dealing with things.
I and we as an organisation have never dealt with an in-work mental health emergency.
Not done it, but my employer is a provider of the training and I produced the promo material for it.
It generally gives MHFAers an overview of various MH conditions and instructs them in strategies for talking about MH and for dealing with anyone in distress.
It's probably our most-popular course and while I'm sure it's a box-tick for some orgs, it's does contain worthwhile content and ideas.
I volunteered to do it myself, but we don't have the budget apparently.
We had a good course from an external company and have 20 people on the list against 120 onsite, and the training has been put into use since so on the whole its been taken positively by staff and management
Source?
First aid training provider.
I'm one at work.
You're not expected to be a counsellor or mental health professional, just someone impartial people can approach confidentially if they want. Helps if they're reluctant to speak to their manager or HR.
Our role is to be an impartial point of contact for other people in the company, and to signpost them to internal company support and external help.
The training is fairly straightforward but quite interesting, and covers things like how to listen without judging, understanding the different mental health conditions and the warning signs. And what to do if you think someone is a risk of suicide or self harm.
Edit: Not had to put it into practice much. Only two people have approached me in the three years I've done it. I've mainly just helped people find the number for our Employment Support Line.
I did the training when it was piloted at our place ~2017. In a sense, it helped with MH doing the training but I didn't come out of it feeling particularly well equipped. I dealt with one case of a younger female colleague who I don't really know what the issue was, I ended up talking about me and my experience in a kind of role reversal. Not that I had issues to deal with, just experience of what she was feeling at work. I doubt I helped, but maybe just talking was what she needed. Anyway, I ditched it after that but the MHFAers program has gone on leaps and bounds as part of wider wellbeing.
Source?
First aid training provider.
I'd take it with a pinch of salt, it'll be like the instructors who run the Speed Awareness Courses explaining how 112 has magical powers that 999 doesn't.
Back on topic though, we have quite a few at work, but then I work in the kind of place that things it's important, rather than box-ticky.
Depends a lot on the attitude of the company you work for.
We have mental health first aiders, counseling service, 9ne day a week dedicated to wellbeing. Come to call on any of it and you quickly see that it's all smoke and mirrors and they couldn't give fewer ****s if they tried.
We have MHFA people, and they’ve been a great help to me over the last couple of years, when something has just set me off and I’ve been in pieces.
How hard could it be....
Sounds like a good idea. Will be keeping an eye open for when work does this.