Mental health awareness training
Mental health awareness training has been a focus for our charity since 2017, we have built several workshops and courses that addresses frequently raised issues in the workplace.
Our hope is that with funding we can expand the repertoire further to assist beyond the workplace.
Listed below are several sessions that we have delivered over the last two years to well over 1,000 people on Island.
- Mental health awareness for line managers – I day course
- Mental health first aid training – 1 day course
- Thriving in a world of change– 2.5 hour workshop
- Introducing assertive behaviours – 2 hour workshop
- Personal resilience – 2 hour workshop
- Stress identification & management – 1 hour or 2 hour options
- Active listening – 1 hour or 2 hour options
The courses are aimed at an audience of 15/20 participants and have been carefully constructed to include evidence based theory and practical coping tools from a Professor of Psychology and a Cognitive Behavioural Therapist along with detailed connection to the corporate environment through a Learning and Development specialist that focuses on duty of care, signposting and when to pass on responsibility.
The most popular course by far has been Mental Health Awareness for Line Managers and we have so far hosted this option to corporates, Government employees, healthcare, police, prison and fire brigade.
We are in a unique position on the Isle of Man where we can also offer a follow-on service that includes:
- Charity/organisation partnership
- Support groups
- Access to therapy via private healthcare plans and partnership agreements
- Telephone support
In short, our courses are designed for wellbeing at work with practical resources available to work alongside knowledge, coping tools and signposting options that complement the mental health strategies your organisation may have already in place.
On Island
- The biggest cause of sickness absence in the public sector is stress
- 1 in 6 people has a mental health issue at any one time
- Public sector sickness absence costs £9.5 million in lost working days
- 11,000 adults on the Island have a mental health issue at any time
The UK
- 15% of people at work have an existing mental health condition
- An individual can have a serious mental health condition but with the right support can still be thriving at work
- We all have mental health and fluctuate between thriving, struggling and being ill and possibly off work
- This study has led us to conclude that underneath the stigma that surrounds mental health and prevents open discussion on the subject, the UK faces a significant mental health challenge at work.
The Stevenson/Farmer report looks to address the huge cost that employers are left with from absenteeism and non-productive presenteeism by introducing the following steps.
Introduce “mental health core standards” – a framework for a set of actions which we believe all organisations in the country are capable of implementing quickly. These mental health core standards are as follows:
- Produce, implement and communicate a mental health at work plan;
- Develop mental health awareness among employees;
- Encourage open conversations about mental health and the support available when employees are struggling;
- Provide employees with good working conditions and ensure they have a healthy work life balance and opportunities for development;
- Promote effective people management through line managers and supervisors;
- Routinely monitor employee mental health and wellbeing.
The mental health awareness courses that The Lisa Lowe Centre have hosted throughout 2018 for over 500 people on Island, directly addresses all these points raised.