200 Mental Health First Aiders trained!
At the time of writing this, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic that has turned our lives upside down. The knock-on effects have been enormous, and we will continue to see the fallout for months and years to come.
In my day job, I am the Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Wokingham — an advice and information provider, supporting our communities in Berkshire. Since 19th March 2020, we have delivered a ‘One Front Door’ service for the borough — essentially, there is no wrong reason to call. Facing any sort of issue? Then our staff and volunteers are here to listen, we’ll either support you with our advice and information on issues including welfare benefits, debt, housing, employment, relationships — but if we cannot help, or there are wider issues, we also assess your situation and refer you to appropriate services in the wider charity sector.
This work saw us help almost double the number of clients than the year before, helping 6,357 people — 98% more than in 2019/20. Many of the people we helped reported the impact on their mental health and wellbeing — affecting their ability to cope. We saw an increase in safeguarding concerns around suicidal ideation too.
Now, I’ve lived with issues around my mental health for as long as I can remember — from my earliest memories. So I have always had an interest in mental health, psychology and suicide prevention. You can hear more about my story below:
In everything I do, I’m trying to put positive mental health and wellbeing at the centre. It seems to be working — our team at Citizens Advice Wokingham are regularly reporting positive results in our surveys, including a recent stress indicator tool survey. Our clients are also giving us great feedback.
In order to help our team better respond to the increase in mental health issues, I was keen to roll out Mental Health First Aid training as far as possible — 40% of our team will be trained by the end of June.
Training Mental Health First Aid
I have now trained the first 200 Mental Health First Aiders and it has been really encouraging. It was something I was a little worried about, because I haven’t delivered training for a number of years, and to fit this training in around my demanding day job is a challenge!
But the feedback is clear:
- Confidence levels grew by 73% after the course, compared to before, with knowledge up 81%
- An average instructor rating of 9.71 out of 10 — with a 9.5 out of 10 rating for recommending the course to others
We’ve also had some lovely feedback too:
Jake is an absolutely knowledgeable mental health first aid trainer , he knows so much and has really educated me in so much in the last two days , he remained calm throughout and was inclusive of everybody on the course , I have never met a trainer like him , he is a massive asset to citizens advice bureau The course was so informative and easy to access through the website , I like that we have our own manuals to reflect back onto I feel so much more confident now in mental health thank you so much Jake
Excellent and informative course. Perfect trainer, very inclusive. I really felt part of a great group and listened to.
I wish I had attended this course before starting my current job. It has given me a lot of very useful information about the various mental health conditions and how they affect people’s abilities to interact and communicate. The course was well run and the course materials are brilliant. Very useful to have as a resource going forward.
It’s also really heartwarming to hear about the personal impact the training has had on some people. Just this week I received an email from a former delegate, explaining that she wanted to do the course so she would know how to approach talking about mental health with others.
Following the course, she had a long conversation with her adult daughter who has generalised anxiety disorder and social anxiety (a phobia), she commented that the course gave her the confidence to approach a topic, self-harm, which she was always too terrified to ask about. “With my own mental wellbeing, I have started to notice feelings and identify triggers, next step is for me to find some strategies to maintain control… I only wish I had been able to do this course 30 years ago. I have missed the opportunity to have interactions with others with poor mental wellbeing, due to my lack of knowledge and understanding, I shied away from them instead of embracing their difference and offering my support.”
What about after the course?
Of course it’s great for me to know that people enjoy the two-day course and that it’s not too much time to spend in my company! But I want to know the wider impact this course can have on people, like the quote I received above, and this one below.
I just wanted to thank you once again for allowing me to join the MHFA training this week. My learning has already had an impact on me, and on a patient of ours. I’ve just come off the telephone to an 83 year old gentleman who’s 32 year old grandson has been free from Heroin for 9 months but experiences regular episodes of psychosis. He is getting support from the mental health team, however, his grandad wants some understanding of how to communicate with his grandson as they’re in regular contact. I felt so much more confident talking to the grandad than I would have done prior to the training — and definitely applied algee. We finished with me signposting him to some online resources with Mind. It was such a positive phone call and I’m so grateful to have been in the position to have confidently supported him to support his grandson. I just wanted to share this with someone!
Earlier this month I sent out a survey to all those who completed their courses two months ago or before:
- 77.2% of respondents have already put their training into practice since completing the course
- The three stand-out things from the course on average were; The Mental Health First Aid Action Plan, the instructor's personal experience/key messages, listening & communication skills for supporting others
- 95.5% would positively recommend the course to others with 4.5% saying maybe!
Some of the comments raised:
Thank you so much for organising the course. One parent rang back to say the advice given was really helpful “ and you saved my life that day, as I was in a dark place.”
The more complex the situation doesn’t necessarily make it more difficult to support the individual in the first instance and to deliver mental health first aid.
I feel more aware of my own mental health and how it fluctuates but where I am on the continuum. I try to respond to others who say they have mental health issues or who may be struggling within the MHFA approach. In personal and professional conversations I look to reduce stigma and encourage people to think about where the other person may be on the continuum.
A particular member has from what I now know is psychosis. As a result I have been able to offer basic support and signpost them to specialist help, knowing that my help is not sufficient and that I am out of my depth. Before I would have kept trying not appreciating they needed professional help.
Suppored a friend who was experiencing a panic/anxiety attack. After assisting with the immediate symptoms, listening and conversations were had around feelings of general anxiety. In a follow-up conversation, appropriate further support was identified and about how to seek help via the different options. Regular catch-ups and “venting” about feelings are still being had.
Overall I’m really pleased with how well it is going and I hope to continue having this ripple effect of more and more trained mental health first aiders, out there with the confidence and knowledge to support others, tackle stigma, and forge better more effective work cultures, communities and environments.
Mental ill-health can have a huge impact on peoples lives — this course simply helps people to recognise signs and symptoms, and be confident in supporting them to get the appropriate professional help they may need.
You can sign up for one of our Mental Health First Aid courses by visiting our website: www.citizensadvicewokingham.org.uk/mental-health
Jake Morrison is Chief Executive at Citizens Advice Wokingham, a charity based in Berkshire — and is an Independent Instructor Member at MHFA England.
You can find out more about Jake on LinkedIn.
