MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID COURSES COME TO SOUTH NORFOLK
A Norfolk training provider is aiming to break down the myths and taboos surrounding mental health by offering courses to employers and staff members.
Rosedale Training, based in Attleborough, runs professional two-day Mental Health First Aid courses designed to teach people within businesses and organisations how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide help on a first aid basis.
Director Anne Beckett-Allen said: “As an employer myself, we support staff members who live with depression, anxiety and insomnia. We’ve always tried to create a supportive environment to support staff wellbeing but we wanted to be able to provide something more – to be proactive in having conversations about poor mental health and break down some of the myths around it, so that people feel more open discussing it.“
One in four people in the UK are affected by a mental health condition at some point in their life and Rosedale Training believes support should be available at the same level as it would be for a physical illness. “Employers have to invest in having a minimum number of physical first aiders within a business and it’s my dream that this will extend to include mental health first aiders as well, ” Anne added. “Since my dad passed away last year I’ve had to learn to ride the waves of depression myself so it’s been a very personal journey for me as well.”
Anne, who is a director of Rosedale Funeral Home and a trustee of the charity Nelson’s Journey, became a Mental Health First Aid instructor after learning that there weren’t any courses available in South Norfolk or North Suffolk.
The courses are accredited by MHFA England, part of a global movement aimed at improving knowledge of mental illnesses and developing effective strategies to guide individuals towards appropriate assistance.
Rosedale Training is due to hold its next two-day course in July. Further details are available from www.rosedaletraining.co.uk.
