Mental health first aid Help for the helpers






































- Slides: 38
Mental health first aid: Help for the helpers 24 April 2020
IP Inclusive CIPA Law. Care
Our speakers • • • Fran Bleach • Membership Officer, CIPA Graham Mc. Cartney • Trustee, Jonathan’s Voice Elizabeth Rimmer • CEO, Law. Care Anna Robinson • Senior Solicitor & Psychotherapist, Anna Robinson Therapy Sharon St Louis • Paralegal Manager (Talent), EIP Lori West • Mental Health Champion & MHFA Certified Adult Trainer, Business Brilliance™ Professional Development Ltd • Andrea Brewster (chair) • Lead Executive Officer, IP Inclusive
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
What we’ll cover • • • Setting the scene: the case for MHFA Awareness and take-up among colleagues Best practices for providing MHFA Looking after the first aider MHFA when working remotely Sources of ideas, advice and support
And to close… …A deliciously relaxing five minutes of mindfulness
Setting the scene: The case for mental health first aid (MHFA)
Jonathan’s Voice Setting the Scene Why Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace ? of a number of training programmes • MHFA is one to raise awareness of mental health issues in the workplace but seems to be the most widely used. • As a relatively new charity that was about to engage with and support workplaces we needed to assure ourselves that MHFA in the workplace was appropriate and valuable. • In 2018, the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health had commissioned an independent report on MHFA from the University of Nottingham. “It’s not ittoreported……… be Here. OK is what 8
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace – who did the researchers approach? “It’s OK not to be 9
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace – what does the independent research say? “It’s OK not to be 10
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace – what can we conclude? • The vast majority of respondents were largely positive about MHFA. • Core aims translated into improved workplace dynamics but some gaps identified where ongoing attention is needed. Should be provision of refresher training to refresh skills and share experiences. Should be a clearer definition of the trained person’s role in the organisation with clear policy guidelines. Ideally, needs to be a stronger evidence base around effectiveness in the workplace to justify resource. “It’s OKcompany not to be 11
Jonathan’s Voice Read blogs here on our website about MHFA A personal account from a patent attorney who undertook MHFA Training https: //jonathansvoice. org. uk/a-personal-reflection-onmental-health-first-aid-training Also read about the IP Inclusive pilot on MHFA https: //jonathansvoice. org. uk/cipa-chartered-institute-ofpatent-attorneys-pilots-mental-health-first-aid-training “It’s OK not to be 12
Awareness and take-up among colleagues
Mental Health First Aid in a small organisation • Being a MHFA in a non-HR, non-management position: • Feedback to the management about what you learned on the course • Work alongside HR staff to push forward ideas for improving mental health awareness in the workplace • You are definitely not alone in this • Be flexible and clear about how you can be contacted or approached • Informal may be better in an open plan office • Be a point of reference for managers as well as a source of support for all staff • If you feel that the managers may feel uncomfortable speaking with you regarding their own issues, encourage them to reach out to their peers where possible
Best practices for providing MHFA
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
Looking after the first aider
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
MHFA when working remotely
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
Sources of ideas, advice and support
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
Law. Care Mental health in the legal community – our role in supporting the legal community
Support – Helpline, webchat, email • • • Free, independent, confidential Discuss concerns Listen without judgment, with empathy Trained staff / volunteers have worked in the law Signposting Best practice standard
Support – Helpline, webchat, email • • Helpline 0800 279 6888 Email support@lawcare. org. uk www. lawcare. org. uk @Law. Care. Ltd
Fran Bleach CIPA Elizabeth Rimmer Law. Care Graham Mc. Cartney Andrea Brewster Sharon St Louis Lori West Jonathan’s Voice Anna Robinson Therapy EIP IP Inclusive Business Brilliance™ Professional Development
Thank you for listening! Working for diversity and inclusion in IP
IP Inclusive: How to find out more • www. ipinclusive. org. uk • www. careersinideas. org. uk • contactipinclusive@gmail. com • • • @IPInclusive @bameipinclusive @IP_Ability @ip_out @Womenin. IPI @Careers. In. Ideas
Jonathan’s Voice What we do as a charity • We give talks in workplaces and elsewhere to raise awareness of mental health and reduce stigma • We have resource materials for use in workplaces and we are currently producing mental health guides for the IP profession • With the Charlie Waller Memorial Trust, we deliver workplace mental health and well being training – free at the point of delivery • Email: val@jonathansvoice. org. uk • Web: www. jonathansvoice. org. uk 31
Biography: Fran Bleach Fran is the Membership Officer at CIPA, having worked in a variety of roles in the organisation since 2008. She is also one of CIPA’s Mental Health First aiders and a keen advocate for the overcoming of the stigma associated with mental health issues. She collaborated with her colleagues on producing a short video highlighting the World Mental Health Day’s 2019 campaign #Timeto. Talk. Fran has a degree in Classical Civilisations from the University of Surrey, Roehampton and is a loud and proud gamer nerd. She is currently trying to figure out the mechanics of running a Murder Mystery night over video chat for her and her friends during the coronavirus lockdown.
Biography: Andrea Brewster OBE Andrea is a Chartered Patent Attorney and European Patent Attorney. Until her retirement in 2015 she was a partner in the Somerset firm Greaves Brewster LLP, of which she had been a co-founder. A former President of CIPA, Andrea is a member of the Institute’s governing Council and serves on several of its committees, including the Education Committee. She established and is now the Lead Executive Officer of IP Inclusive, an initiative that promotes diversity, inclusion and wellbeing throughout the IP professions. She regularly speaks on D&I-related topics in the IP sector and is a Champion for the mental health charity Law. Care.
Biography: Graham Mc. Cartney Graham is a trustee and one of the founders of the charity Jonathan’s Voice (Registered Charity Number 1180424), which was set up in late 2017 following the death of his son Jonathan by suicide at the age of 35. Jonathan was a partner in a firm of patent attorneys with offices in Bristol, London and Munich. One of the charity’s main objects is “to promote a culture of positive mental health, particularly in the IP and legal environment, and to encourage organisations to create the right support structures, policies and practice to support employees’ mental health and well-being”. It provides resources, talks and training events to help individuals look after their mental health and assist firms to support their employees.
Biography: Elizabeth Rimmer Elizabeth has been managing and developing charities in the mental health sector for over 20 years. She joined Law. Care in 2014 from the Institute of Group Analysis, a membership and training organisation for group psychotherapists. Before that she headed up Alzheimer’s Disease International, a worldwide federation of Alzheimer Associations. Elizabeth started her working life as a solicitor specialising in clinical negligence, practising at Leigh Day. Law. Care is an independent charity offering emotional support, information and training to the legal community in the UK and Ireland. It promotes good mental health and wellbeing in legal workplaces and drives change in education, training and practice.
Biography: Anna Robinson Anna retrained as a psychotherapist and counsellor after a long career as a senior immigration solicitor in the City. She has since enjoyed a blended career which includes counselling clients across a wide range of emotional issues in private practice and charitable services, and managing wellbeing initiatives at a City law firm. Anna is a Mental Health First Aid trainer and also collaborates with organisations to devise and present bespoke training in mental health and wellbeing. She is en route to qualifying as a supervisor to support staff who are impacted by the dynamics of client work. Anna is passionate about working therapeutically and co-creating its enriching benefits.
Biography: Sharon St Louis Sharon is a paralegal manager at EIP. She has been responsible for rolling out the Mental Health First Aiders initiative at EIP and has been a keen supporter of promoting awareness of mental health issues in the IP sector.
Biography: Lori West, Founder and CEO of Business Brilliance™ Professional Development Ltd, has been opening doors to opportunities and creating leaders her entire career. She started her career launching Silicon Valley start-up technology companies into Europe during the dot com boom. Loving people development, she went on to help people recover from a variety of mental health challenges as a psychotherapist. At present, Lori empowers leaders in the finance and technology sectors to create company cultures that actively promote mental wellbeing. As well as training mental health first aiders, she coaches leaders to powerfully and mindfully listen, collaborate, inspire and partner. Her passion lies in guiding people to discover how to create a life filled with power, freedom and fulfilment. When she’s not saving the world, she likes to sing, dance, discover new restaurants, drink fine wine, play tennis, ski and get mindful during a daily yoga and meditation practice.