What is psychological first aid and how can you use it to protect and promote mental health?
First a definition: Psychological first aid is the mental health equivalent of physical first aid. It is about providing psychological support to a person who is showing signs of a mental health problem or who is in psychological distress. In this article we take a look at how the techniques can be applied at work.
It’s common to see initiatives that promote physical health at work, for example, healthy choices in the canteen, discounts on gym membership or help buying a bike to cycle to work. But it’s less common to see initiatives that promote mental health and early intervention approaches are rarer still.
In our blog article on the negative impact of stress in the workplace we reported the latest HSE statistics that show how frequently mental health issues can lead to sickness absence in the UK workforce. The numbers make stark reading so the real question is, why are so many companies still not doing enough to identify mental health problems early and doing something about them?
Where should you start?
If someone is suffering from a mental health problem like stress, anxiety or depression at work then they are likely to benefit from some sort of mental health intervention. It’s better for everyone if the problem is identified quickly so it can be treated before it gets so bad that the person needs to take time off to recover. That means training the people with responsibility for others in your organisation – your leaders, managers and supervisors.
What skills are needed?
Your leaders, managers and supervisors need to be able to identify mental health problems and also know how to provide support and psychological first aid. They need to know what to look out for, the signs and symptoms of mental health problems and also what to do to help. This starts with showing empathy, building rapport, listening and communicating effectively.
How do you build confidence and competence?
Some of your leaders, managers and supervisors may not feel comfortable initially with this side of their role but that doesn’t mean they can ignore it. In fact it’s exactly these individuals who would benefit most from psychological first aid training because they could be making the problem worse and contributing to sickness absence. Our training develops the skills in a safe environment using a blend of theory and practical experience with case studies, role play and coaching.
Providing psychological first aid in the workplace – together with Cafe Therapy
So that’s how to get started with psychological first aid in your organisation. You should look to develop the confidence and competence of your leaders, managers and supervisors so they can spot the early signs of mental ill health and intervene in a constructive way. This will have a positive impact on your workforce, improve wellbeing and reduce sickness absence.
Cafe Therapy can help you improve the provision of psychological first aid in your workplace by partnering with your company to deliver enlightening and effective training and workshops, as well as helping you access, evaluate and act upon feedback from your people. Our thoughtfully designed presentations and activities bring people together and foster a spirit of community and co-operation and bring real results for your company. Drop us an email and start a conversation with Cafe Therapy.
