What’s the impact of Mental Health First Aid training?

Helena Sansum muses…

I watched Titan, the OceanGate Submersible Disaster documentary on Netflix this week and it got me thinking about workplace culture and the link with mental health first aid.

It struck me that OceanGate’s leader was an example of how not to nurture a psychologically safe environment. Those that challenged him based on legitimate safety concerns were often fired. People worked in fear, and their mental health and wellbeing took a hit. 

The rate of people quitting their jobs even in the midst of a global pandemic, should have been an alarm bell to the leader. It wasn’t. Sadly, we all know how the story ends. 

How is Mental Health First Aid training related and what impact can it have?

It depends. On one level, such training can help people to recognise the signs that someone is struggling with their mental health and to provide first line support, whether that’s in work or not. 

That’s great, and the training can help break down the stigma that still surrounds mental health. 

But, organisations ought to consider their role in people’s wellbeing, otherwise the training will only ever scratch the surface. We spend a lot of time at work, and mental health should be thought of as much, much more than mental illness. 

The World Health Organisation defines it as “A state of well-being in which an individual realises their own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, work productively and is able to contribute to their community. It’s not just the absence of mental illness, but a positive state of mind and body that enables people to thrive”.

If a workplace environment doesn’t support people to thrive, not surprisingly, there could be a negative impact on people’s mental health, and a knock on effect on the organisation’s ability to attract and retain talent, to innovate and grow.

At Life Saving Training, we focus on details that matter. Our Mental Health First Aid training isn’t only aimed at responding to someone in a crisis. We go further by asking questions and facilitating discussions that help employees consider the wider workplace culture. Prevention is always better than cure.

Thinking about organising Mental Health First Aid training for your workplace? Give get in touch – we’d love to help! 

Reference: for more information on Psychological Safety, check out the work of Amy Edmonson from Harvard Business School.