Mental Health First Aid - Our Journey!

When the senior management team at Fruition asked for volunteers to participate in the Mental Health First Aid Training, it seemed too important an opportunity to pass up. We all know that Mental Health issues are becoming more prevalent so Chloe and I jumped at the chance to learn how to support people around us.

Why did we get involved?

Mental health is becoming more and more important and, sadly, more prevalent within all social groups. One in four people experience mental health issues each year but 70-75% of people receive no treatment or support. Mental health has always been a subject important to both of us and so we signed up for four days of intensive training to learn how to be best prepared to assist someone, both at work and in our personal lives, who was experiencing a tough time.

What did we learn?

The course was engaging and informative – we learned about a vast range of mental health conditions including anxiety, depression, suicide and personality disorders (to name a few). It was intense but informative and eye-opening to learn about the prevalence of these disorders throughout society. What was more shocking was the stigma that was still attached, despite one in four people experiencing some sort of mental health issue, at some point, in any given year.

We learned the predisposing factors and warning signs that someone was experiencing mental health issues. We learned the best way to approach and how to listen non-judgmentally and ask open questions to truly understand how they were feeling. The course wasn’t about finding solutions and giving advice but signposting someone in the direction of the help they need and being the listening ear that they may not feel they have.

A large part of the course was about self-care and how you “can’t pour from an empty cup”. Supporting others can really take its toll on you. How often do you take time out in your day to focus on yourself and your own mental wellbeing?

What Happens Next?

Chloe and I are so excited to put what we have learned into practice and to be better equipped to support everyone at Fruition IT. Recruitment can be tough, there are plenty of ups and down and people often don’t feel as though they have full control over what happens in the day. In 2018/19 there were 602,000 cases of work-related stress, depression and anxiety in Great Britain, so it’s more important than ever to be aware of these potential difficulties.

We are now better able to spot the signs that someone might be having a tough time, approach them and ensure that they are OK. Fruition already provides access to a fantastic employee assistance programme which provides resources we can access at any time (including a 24/7 live chat and counselling service) but Chloe and I are now in a better position to signpost people to access that service.

This training goes way beyond Fruition and into the wider community too. We spend our lives interacting with people and we hope this training has enabled us to recognise and act when we feel that something doesn’t look quite right.

The biggest takeaway from the course was; if you are unsure, ask the question. Check on your loved ones, as a listening ear may be all they need. Lockdown’s tough and the ramifications of isolation may go way beyond the lifting of restrictions. Remain connected, reach out to those who you are concerned about and say hello. A little effort goes a long way. If we all look out for each other, the world may be a brighter place!