Meet members of our Wellbeing Team
1 in 4 people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. In your personal life and in the workspace, we believe you should have an outlet to talk to someone about mental health and be heard in a safe space. We are proud to have six mental health first aiders who are there to support the events team at Broadsword. Christine, Toyin, Mia, Rob, Lorraine, and Simon are available as a first point of contact for our team, offering confidential support and access to additional guidance and resources should anyone have any concerns, big or small. They have completed this training so that they have more confidence to have these difficult conversations.
What was the training like?
Christine: I’m happy I was given the chance to learn more about many different mental health topics such as addiction and learning how important sleep is. The opportunity to learn more about how I deal with my own mental health and how to help others will help in my personal life, as well as at work.
Toyin: The training focused on equipping us with an action plan and the necessary steps to assess and help someone if they are showing signs of poor mental health. It also covered common mental health issues which arise in the workplace and provided space to apply this knowledge to example scenarios.
Rob: It put me out of my comfort zone and taught me skills which are useful in so many difficult situations. The training was really in depth, and I learned so much about all areas of mental health and how to approach different issues in practical exercises.
Lorraine: The course looked at how to identify, understand and help someone who may be experiencing a mental health issue. I learned how to empower someone to access the support they might need, gained an understanding of how to support positive wellbeing and how to tackle stigma.
Mia: We covered topics such as what non-judgmental listening is in regards to suicidal feelings and how mental health changes over time with diagnosis or without. We were also given a whole heap of reading links and sites to look at. As a team, we are all more considerate of people’s boundaries after doing the course but aren’t scared to try and be there for each other. This of course helps in your personal life and relationships too.
Why did you want to take part?
Christine: I wanted to do the mental health training to better understand myself and others. We all get physical first aid training so why not mental health first aid? I once saw a statistic that 95% of employees calling in sick with stress give a different reason. I think everyone has had one of those days, weeks, or months, where things just got too much (myself included) and needed the time to rest.
Toyin: I think mental health is so important so I wanted to increase my knowledge and skills to apply to difficult situations that can arise within the work environment
Rob: I wanted to do the training to have a broader understanding on mental health as a whole and to learn skills that would help me and the people around me.
Lorraine: To enhance my mental health awareness. Mental health should be given the same attention as we give our physical health. I wanted to increase my understanding of mental health as well as learn a range of tools and skills that can be used both in the workplace and in everyday life.
Mia: I wanted to understand how best to support my colleagues, clients, friends and family. Mental health support isn’t always about dealing with crisis, as most people believe, it’s about assessing situations and understanding how best to support.
The World Health Organisation recognises World Mental Health Day on 10 October every year.
The theme of 2022’s World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health is ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.
Visit this link for a guide which provides tips on how to look after your mental health, backed by research.