Here at Delphis we have been busy creating two new mental health workshops: one for managers and one for teachers. They both launch in February 2018. A taster session for our new Mental Health for Managers Workshop takes place in York on February 8th, 2018. If you are a manager thinking about mental health training for your staff, we’d love you to be amongst first to experience our new course. It will also be a great opportunity for you to let us know how we can shape the course to fit your needs. Click here to book your free place.

The photo above shows the first draft of the booklet for the morning session which covers mental health. The afternoon session covers resilience and stress management. Each delegate at this course will receive a free copy of the 60-page booklet. This will be a valuable resource not only for the workshop itself but for further reading back at work.

Purpose of the new mental health workshops

We have devised these new mental health workshops to address the urgent need for a better understanding of mental health in the workplace. Line managers and others who work with a team are ideally placed to help staff who are having mental health difficulties. This requires an understanding both of the conditions themselves and of how to deal with such difficulties when they arise.

While the ability to react appropriately is vital, even better is the ability to create a positive work environment. This means managing work demands, relationships and conditions so as to reduce stress as much as possible. Evidence shows that taking such measures saves organisations a great deal of time and money. Savings come through reduced sickness absences and turnover, and especially through improved work performance.

Resilience

In addition there is a growing body of knowledge about how to foster resilience – that is, the mental toughness which helps people cope with stress. A range of habits, skills and traits both of the individual and of the workplace contribute to resilience. For example, looking after physical health, learning mindfulness, improving relationships and developing an optimistic and problem-solving attitude all help in dealing with stress.

Our new mental health workshops teach all these useful skills using an engaging mix of discussion, case studies, visual aids, quizzes and puzzles, and practical activities such as role play. We believe learning takes place best when people are active and reflective, and are stimulated by a variety of approaches and activities.

The learning objectives of the new courses are as follows:

• Understand the signs and symptoms of a variety of common mental health conditions that may occur in your staff
• Understand mental health as a continuum from wellness to illness and its links with work-related stress
• Challenge the stigma surrounding mental health, and understand its seriousness as a social issue
• Develop empathy for people living with a mental health condition
• Develop the skills to react appropriately to members of staff who are in distress at your workplace
• Understand the stress response, and recognise its signs and symptoms in yourself and other members of staff
• Learn how to assess and manage possible sources of stress at your workplace
• Understand how to build resilience in your staff to improve their mental health and their ability to cope with workplace stress