NEW Course for Employees and Managers Will Help Equalise Access to Mental Health Support in UK

Vita Health Group, has launched a unique course to help improve and equalise access to mental health support in the workplace.

The Mental Health Advocacy course has been designed by a team of experienced clinicians who will train employees to recognise and positively respond to the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions, and effectively guide their colleagues towards the right support.

Mental Health Advocacy aims to help equalise access to mental health support in the UK and is a CPD accredited course which qualifies for 10 hrs CPD points.

Mental Health Advocacy tackles mental health considering the COVID-19 pandemic and ensures learning is targeted around the anxieties of current affairs and societal challenges.

During the two-day course, delegates will also learn how to understand their own boundaries and limitations and how to look after their own wellbeing when supporting others.

Mark Armour, Director of Corporate Health at Vita Health Group, says: “The need for mental wellbeing in our workplaces has never been greater and this course encourages people on the ground in our workplaces to be able to spot the signs of the most common conditions associated with mental ill health and then help to support their colleagues and co-workers who might be suffering. We recognise that access to mental health remains unequal and we hope this course will ensure more people are able to enjoy good mental health.”

The course – which will be delivered virtually but will transition to face-to-face at a later date – will be run by experienced clinicians and will focus on the more common conditions that delegates are most likely to experience within their workplaces including stress, anxiety and depression, suicide and eating disorders. Vita Health Group has made the decision not to cover more serious conditions like schizophrenia, psychosis, and bipolar disorder, as they tend to be less common.

Mental Health Advocacy will be led by Tom Bivins, head of ergonomics and wellbeing at Vita Health Group.

Bivins said: “During the course, we teach delegates to recognise what things in their workplace might contribute to stress and poor mental health, such as the volume and degree of control employees have on their work, and company culture and policies. Identifying the things at work that could cause mental ill health is a good way to prevent problems happening in the first place. Delegates will understand what the key risk factors are, and what could be done to better control them. Ultimately, it is the proactive and preventative approach combined that makes Mental Health Advocacy unique.”

A report by Deloitte estimated that poor mental health among employees costs UK employers between £42bn and £45bn each year.

Courses can either be booked by a company to train up to 12 of their employees or booked on an individual basis, per delegate. All group training settings will consist of a maximum of 12 delegates to ensure more interaction and support for all trainees.

Vita Health Group’s course is more cost effective than other courses currently being offered in the UK and costs approximately £167 per delegate (when a full 12-person course is booked) and £250 (+VAT) when booked by delegates on an individual basis

To book a place or to find out more about Vita Health Group’s Mental Health Advocacy course, click here: Mental health training.