Championing Mental Health First Aid training: Woods Hardwick and Edu-c8

Last month members of the Woods Hardwick team completed the Mental Health First Aid course. a workplace course specifically designed for managers and staff to help them spot the signs of poor mental health and provide support and guidance on a first aid basis.

The course was run by Bedfordshire based Edu-c8 Mental Health & Wellbeing. The mental health equivalent of physical first aid training, the course gives attendees the skills and confidence to recognise signs and symptoms of common mental health issues and guide an individual to get the help that they need.

Anne Miller Donkin, Business Development and Operations Director at Edu-c8, explains,

“Just as a physical first aider wouldn’t mend a broken leg, they would still support you and get you the help you need. It’s the same idea. The end concept is the same – you could save someone’s life.”

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is an internationally recognised training course, developed by MHFA England. Six of the Directors and Associate Directors at Woods Hardwick completed the one-day MHFA Champion course – ideal for line managers and those with people management responsibilities. 

Woods Hardwick’s Finance Director, Juliette Withey attended the course.

“We recognised that training our staff in Mental Health First Aid is a great way to get people talking more openly about their experiences with mental health, especially around stress or anxiety. We all found the course incredibly useful. We are now focusing on ensuring that everyone at Woods Hardwick knows who their Mental Health First Aiders & MHFA Champions are and how we can help them.”

Edu-C8 also runs a two-day course to qualify as a Mental Health First aider, that anyone in the business can do. Typically it’s people in HR, managers, as well as people who are genuinely interested in understanding and promoting mental health within the company and the community.

Anne explains, “One of the great things about having Mental Health First Aiders is that often people don’t want to talk to their boss about it. It gives them someone else they can talk to in confidence.”

To learn more about the courses offered by Edu-c8 or to view their upcoming courses in the local area, visit their website: https://edu-c8.co.uk/