Paul Williams, ECA’s Head of Safety, Health and Environment, talks about why he became a Mental Health Instructor; why it is important, both as an individual and an employer, to look after your own and other people’s wellbeing; and the support and training ECA provides for its Member businesses in this arena.
One of the things that I find fascinating about working with learners from the electrotechnical sector who attend our ECA-led Mental Health First Aider course is wellbeing. One of the ideas that we explore on the course is that we are most able to support others when we are experiencing good mental health ourselves.
I became acutely aware of the mental health issues in construction, from speaking with ECA Members and looking at the statistics of poor mental health and the shocking number of suicides in construction. I looked at how ECA could support the sector in addition to the great work ECA already does, such as supporting the Electrical Industries Charity. I was drawn to Mental Health First Aiders England (MHAFE) as it is a Community Interest Company (CIC) that supports positive mental health in the UK. Its training material and course content is well researched and based on sound evidence-based information. The training to become an instructor was rigorous and included one week face-to-face and being shadowed during my first few sessions when I qualified. MHFAE also reviews all feedback from course attendees to ensure the highest standards are maintained.
One thing that I have learnt since becoming a mental health instructor, is that maintaining our own wellbeing is key to ensuring that we maintain our own positive mental health. Discussing how we maintain mental health is fascinating and it’s great to hear the creativity learners show when sharing their own richly diverse wellbeing activities. I have heard people speak with real animation about their cat, dog, fish, guitar, paints, music, walking, running, basket weaving, silence, walking or rock climbing. It is heartwarming to glimpse into each other’s windows of wellbeing.
ECA offers mental health training with great discounts for its Members. The two courses we run are a half-day mental health aware course and the full two-day Mental Health First Aider course.
The Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Mental Health Aware half-day course is a basic introduction to mental health and is designed to raise awareness and build confidence in supporting individuals experiencing mental health challenges. It aims to demystify mental health, introduce common mental health conditions, and equip participants with tools to understand and respond to signs of mental ill-health in the workplace.
The two-day MHFA First Aider course equips individuals with the skills and knowledge to recognise signs of mental ill-health and provide initial support, similar to a physical first aid course, for mental health. It focuses on helping people access professional help, using techniques like active listening and non-judgmental communication. The course also emphasises self-care for the first aider and promotes a more supportive environment for those experiencing mental health. The course content allows plenty of opportunity for learners to practice having conversations about mental health in a safe space.
It’s great to see satisfaction and joy learners find from their ways to wellbeing and there are no right or wrong answers to maintaining wellbeing. I am reminded about how whilst as individuals we are all unique, we have much more in common with each other than that which separates us.
Another aspect of exploring wellbeing is how people react to ways other learners achieve wellbeing – comments like – ‘wow, sounds great’ or ‘that would so stress me’ are not uncommon as learners reflect on their own preferences, likes or dislikes.
Discussing that we don’t need to understand and just simply celebrate that others find wellbeing in ways that we may not appeal to us, is a real illustration of the rich diversity we share as people.
In an ideal world each ECA Member business offering to their employees would include effective policy, trained support, access to other support such as an Employee Assistance Programme. Each business would also have an open culture where mental health is discussed throughout the organisation, from the boardroom to on-site, in an active non-judgmental way. It is clear that the support a Member can offer is dependent on size and resources but there is no harm in smaller organisations looking at micro changes that can support mental health. It can be simple small changes that have a big impact.
There is lots of evidence that paying attention to mental health is also a sound financial approach as it helps retention, loyalty and performance of employees.
ECA offers accredited mental health training for members at a significant discount with saving of up to 90%. To find out more, speak to your Regional Manager or contact me at paul.williams@eca.co.uk.