Committed to supporting the wellbeing of its employees, Matrix Networks is investing in mental health first aid training for staff at all levels across its business.
Working with delivery partners including RoSPA and Mind, and using materials provided by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England, the rolling programme of mental health awareness training is being undertaken by Directors, Managers and employee volunteers.
Taking place through a series of online and face to face sessions, the overarching aims of the training are to improve understanding of different mental health conditions, know how to notice early warning signs in colleagues and be able to assess the best ways in which to provide support.
To date, 15 employee volunteers out of a workforce of more than 90 have attended the one day training sessions, earning their MHFA Champion accolade. While Champions are not able to diagnose conditions, through discussion and workshop sessions these employees have been equipped with simple tools they can apply when talking to others, such as ALGEE: Approach; Listen; Give support; Encourage finding help; Encourage further support.
Alex Wilson is a Business Development Manager at Matrix Group and volunteered to take part in the one day workshop. He said: “Mental Health and its effects are something I have first-hand experience of, and with this in mind I thought it would be a useful exercise for me to take part in.
“The most important technique we discussed on the course was that of listening, no judgment, just listen and be there when somebody wants to talk. We discussed the different issues that may be troubling people, resulting in stress, depression, or anxiety. We all need to remember, it’s OK to not be OK.”
It’s estimated that one in four people will experience mental health issues in any given year and to date, a community of around 4 million people in the UK have been mental health trained. Rob Sparkes, Matrix Group CEO added: “Mental health awareness has become a big part of our business. We’ve already engaged in a number of mental health awareness initiatives this year, but as this training demonstrates, looking after our mental health takes more than an awareness week, it’s relevant every day.
“I’m pleased so many of our employees have wanted to take part in the full day’s training and I know the support they’ll provide as MHFA Champions will be invaluable.”
MHFA England’s vision is to improve the mental health of the nation by creating societal change so we can all talk freely about mental health and offer and seek support when we need it. This will be achieved by its mission to train at least 1:10 of the adult population in mental health knowledge and skills. MHFA England offers a number of face-to-face, online and digital training options to increase mental health awareness, knowledge and skills, including the internationally licensed product, Mental Health First Aid. This course provides people with the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues, start a conversation, and effectively guide a person towards the right support, be that self-help or professional services.
More information about MHFA England and its courses can be found at mhfaengland.org or by emailing [email protected].
