To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, we caught up with our Workshop Manager Jamie, who has recently completed a Mental Health First Aid qualification.
Hi Jamie, thanks for talking about this. Can you explain how you came to study this course?
Actually, I wanted to do the course for a long time and finally I got around to doing it. Mental health problems can affect people at any age, anybody. Every place I have worked nobody had anyone to talk to anyone if they had their own problems inside or outside of work. You never know what’s going on outside of work in peoples’ personal lives.
I think men particularly find it very hard to open up and admit that they have a problem and that something might be up - maybe because of the stigma around mental health.
So, you wanted to do something about it?
That’s right. I wanted to learn how I could help support someone with their mental health or get them the right help they needed. Just someone to talk to, to relieve a little stress off their shoulders - to help them have a better day, week, month… year! Just to let them know there is always help, you’re never alone.
And this is a natural fit for your focus on creating a close-knit team?
As I’ve always said, I want to create a happy team who enjoys coming to work, who can trust me as a manager and come to me (confidentially) at anytime. We always try to help and support each individual’s needs including promoting good mental health. I’m looking forward to promoting good mental health at work; hopefully through a series of regular events.
Any final words?
I want people to know there’s no need to suffer in silence anymore. Stress, depression, anxiety – they are more common than you think and I’m always here to talk and offer support.