The first two-day training session took place last week at our London head office. The course was attended by members of Cygnet’s senior management team alongside people from our central group services, as well as staff who work in our hospitals and residential homes in the South-East.
The mental health first aid course teaches people the skills and confidence to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and effectively guide a person towards the right support.
The 2-day course covered:
- An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
- Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of mental health issues
- Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress
- Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
- Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether that’s self-help resources, through support from Cygnet, the NHS, or a mix of these
“Whether you’re a director or support worker, everyone’s mental health matters. We believe the mental health of our staff is just as important as the support we give our service users.”Faye Malkin, Group Training Manager
The course doesn’t teach people how to become a therapist, but gives people the soft skills of listening, reassuring and responding when they notice a person is in need of support or is in crisis. It could even equip them to stop a crisis from happening.
Thank you to the Learning and Development team for organising the training and to all the staff members who signed up to become our first Cygnet Mental Health First Aiders.