It’s my birthday and I’ll let you cry if you want to.
New Trends, Same Mental Health Conversations
I closed my eyes and made a wish. It’s my tenth birthday and the year is 2000. I’m wishing for a Razor A-Kick Scooter and my first ever make-up set. I never did get a Razor A-Kick Scooter because my mum had been scared by the press coverage where people jammed their fingers (sad face). I did receive my first makeup set for my birthday and I can confirm that it is the first and last time that I owned blue eye shadow. Not a look I’ll be bringing back any time soon.
This year marks 10 years since I qualified as a Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid (SMHFA) instructor. If you don’t know what’s covered in SMHFA, it’s a two-day in person course that trains people in how to recognise the signs of mental health problems and how to provide initial help. Just like a first aider is a first-responder to keep someone safe until appropriate help comes, mental health first aiders support individuals through assessing immediate crises and signposting to help.
Lynn blowing out candles on birthday cake today and when she was aged ten.
Loads of things have changed have changed in the last ten years. There’s been an update to the training materials, a global pandemic and new mental health initiatives launched. However, a lot of things have stayed the same. This was highlighted last year in my panel discussions at the CIPD Festival of Work as we debated whether or not there is a mental health emergency in the workplace. ‘Of course. Tis always been thus’ was my stance (You can read more about that debate on my blog post). Delivery of Scotland’s Mental Health First Aid was happening well before the covid-prompted-conversations about wellbeing at work.
Saying the ‘Wrong Thing’
Over the years, I’ve trained participants in the charity, public and private sectors. Participants have covered a diverse range of identities and roles, including students, lecturers, advisors, leaders, ex-military, creatives, healthcare professionals, reception and client services staff. The scenarios that we discuss may vary, but the skills we practise stay the same. The course is designed to equip people with the skills and confidence to talk to someone in distress and ask if they are thinking about suicide.
Lynn standing with ‘10’ balloons'.
Almost all participants start the course worried about ‘saying the wrong thing’. I have to stress that there is no ‘perfect’ response to someone struggling, but that the most valuable response is one of non-judgmental listening. It’s okay to ask about suicide and it’s okay if you don’t feel able to do that. We go over good phrases to remember and how it’s best to not say, ‘committed suicide’ (as it is not a crime. An alternative would be ‘died by suicide’). It’s a space where you are allowed to say the Voldermort of mental health, the word ‘suicide’, and practice saying it out loud until it feels a bit more comfortable.
Ten years after qualifying as an instructor means that I’ve mostly seen and heard it all. Someone once said that I have an air of, ‘nothing ever surprises me’. That’s what years of training myself in challenging my assumptions will do. It’s amazing the things that people will challenge themselves to try when you create an engaged space of safety and experience. I now pride myself in creating a safe space to try, and to cry. In every course, someone will get upset – that’s only human. When someone cries, we hold space for that and my job as an instructor is to make the call on whether to proceed with the content, take a break and, if needed, arrange other supports for the participants. Throughout the course, we repeatedly reinforce the ‘keep safe’ message. The safety and wellbeing of participants always always comes first.
Always Improving
Yet, just because the topic is challenging, it does not mean that learning about mental health cannot be engaging and rewarding. Over the years I’ve had many incredible testimonials, as you can see from the quotes in the images.
That said, I also have had many areas to improve as an instructor. There’s a lot of material to get through and, due to my passion and experience, I can pace things too quickly (I’m working on how to improve that). With each course, my delivery changes and hopefully improves, taking on board feedback.
SMHFA is not a ‘workplace wellbeing’ solution. It is a learning experience for those who could benefit from the skills needed in a mental health emergency. Unfortunately, mental health emergencies can happen anywhere and to anyone – people have said in the past that the course is like training someone ‘to be a compassionate human’ which is a lovely way to think about it. I’m really proud when I think about how many lives have been positively impacted over the last ten years. Listening and ‘being there’ is a brilliant gift.
Here’s to the next ten!
If you are looking to book the course, make sure you contact me by March 31st you will get 10% off the price when you wish me a happy birthday!. All information on the training page.
