Two members of staff at Castle Lane Day Nursery have just completed training as first aiders in mental health.
Castle Lane Day Nursery Co-owner and Manager, Vikki Gamble along with Baby Room nursery nurse Colette Jarvis both attended the two day training in December and can now call themselves mental health first aiders.
The course, run by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England is valid for two years.
What is Mental Health First Aid training?
The Mental Health First Aid training course is run over two days and qualifies attendees as a Mental Health First Aiders, giving them:
- An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
- Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
- Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
- Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
- Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s self-help resources, through their employer, the NHS, or a mix
What does the mental health training comprise?
The Mental Health First Aid training course is a two day event run over four sessions.
Using a mix of presentations, group discussions and workshop activities, the first session of the course looks at understanding what is mental health, the impact of mental health issues, stigma and discrimination as well as depression and its symptoms.
The second session considers suicide figures, alcohol, drugs and mental health before looking at first aid for suicidal crisis along with non-judgemental listening skills. Self-care is also covered.
Session three covers anxiety disorders, treatment and resources for anxiety disorders, cognitive distortions and CBT as well as personality disorders, eating disorders and self-harm. Attendees are also advised on crisis first aid after a traumatic event.
And finally, the fourth session goes into detail about psychosis, risk factors for psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder. As well as warning signs of developing psychosis and crisis first aid for acute psychosis.
Who are Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)?
The two day course is run by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England who are a community interest company working to increase mental health awareness and skills across society.
Their courses are designed to empower people to support their own mental health and that of the people they connect with in life.
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England believe by giving people the facts about mental health and the practical skills to support wellbeing, they can work towards building healthier communities free from stigma.
Castle Lane Day Nursery: supporting good mental health
Commenting on the value of attending the course, Castle Lane Day Nursery Co-owner and Manager, Vikki Gamble, said “Good mental health is important to us all and it’s time any stigma associated with it was put to one side.
“The welfare of our staff and children remains the upmost priority for us at Castle Lane and so it made sense to invest in this training, so we can better identify and support anyone in need”.
How Castle Lane Day Nursery promotes good mental health
For more information on how Castle Lane promotes good mental health in the workplace, please contact Vikki Gamble.