The importance of supporting mental health first aiders

The importance of supporting mental health first aiders

If your organisation’s wellbeing strategy includes mental health first aiders – it’s vital to remember they will need supporting too, says EAPA chair.

Mental Health First Aid training for employees in the workplace is a relatively new concept that has seen a large take-up in many organisations in the UK.

The idea is to train members of staff so they can be a “mental health first aider” – someone to whom another employee who is experiencing mental distress, or wants to talk about their mental health can turn for help.

Research by Employee Benefits/Health Shield Healthcare in 2019 found that 38 per cent of businesses surveyed were offering mental health first aiders as part of their mental health benefits support programme.

Mental Health First Aid England (MHFA) says that more than half a million people in the country have now been through one of its certified courses.

The idea of the mental health first aider course is to teach people how to spot signs of mental ill health, listen non-judgementally, provide mental health first aid to someone in crisis, and have the confidence to guide someone towards the right professional support. It is made clear in the programme that the training does not replace ongoing support, but is intended to provide a point of contact and reassurance for those experiencing emotional distress.

EAPA chair, Eugene Farrell says that any such measures in the workplace are of course a welcome sign that mental health is finally beginning to be seen as just as important as physical health – and that is a great step forward. But he also warns that with mental health first aiders undergoing a course that only last two days, it’s very important that they should be supported in their role – as the effects on them can be serious too.

“There are many options for mental health awareness,” he says. “Many organisations have in fact chosen products other than MHFA, and some are indeed developing their own. Peer support programmes may have their advantages in terms of generally encouraging a culture of awareness in the workplace, and reducing the stigma around mental health. However, they have their disadvantages too. Our advice to any company offering one of these mental health first aid courses to staff is to be very clear about the expectations of those trained.

“Organisations should also be aware that people who are naturally drawn to these types of mental health first aid courses may have suffered themselves with mental ill health. This, of course, has some plus points in terms of their ability to show compassion to others who may be going through the same thing. But it also makes them more vulnerable to being mentally ‘brought down’ themselves when trying to listen and help others. Particularly if they have a “helper” personality”

“When it comes to EAPs, any counsellors who are trained in these matters under EAP are supervised in their work. This is in contrast to the MHFA courses where those who have done the two-day course may be allowed to go ahead straight away.”

Offering mental health first aid to other people can affect first aiders, says Eugene: “We are starting to find out about EAPs who are now seeing people who have been impacted by being peer supporters and first aiders.”

Tips for businesses to reduce the pressure on mental health first aiders in the workplace:

• Set out a role expectation with boundaries
• Organisations should have a clear owner including who is responsible for the clinical governance of mental health supporters or first aiders.
• Talk to your EAP about clinical governance, your EAPs may be able to provide such governance and ensure there is effective integration with the internal support systems
• Supervision or consultative support sessions are vital (again, EAPs can provide)
• Employers should collect data on the number of conversations that are had with staff members and mental health supporters and ask what issues are discussed. This is NOT an attempt to spy on vulnerable people, but an important measure to protect those who are doing the listening, so they are properly supported too.
• Employers need to make sure that all peer supporters are absolutely crystal clear about when and where to get support themselves if they are feeling overwhelmed by the role.
• Employers should consider resting those who have a lot of interactions, or are showing signs of distress themselves.