For Mental Health First Aider Day, we sat down with three of our recently trained MHFAs at Elysium to understand what drives them, what they’ve learned, and why they believe everyone should consider taking on this important role.
For Wellbeing Administrator Sharon Gibbons, becoming a Mental Health First Aider was deeply personal.
“I’ve had my own struggles with mental health, mental health is very serious and it’s rightly talked about more nowadays.”
She recognised that her own experiences could become a powerful tool to help others.
“Years ago, you’d feel like, ‘if I speak up, it looks like I can’t do my job’. Now, I can say how I feel and not be worried to talk about it.”
Tina Harrison, Office Manager at our Luton office, believes there’s still work to be done around destigmatising discussions around mental health:
“I still feel like people view mental health like it’s a weakness or something to be ashamed of. And it really isn’t. Especially amongst men, people don’t talk enough about it. We need to get better about opening up and talking to one another.”
For our Mental Health First Aiders, one of the most surprising outcomes from the MHFA training was that it was just as much about helping themselves as it was about helping others.
Tess Whittle, our Learning and Development Lead at Stanley House, didn’t expect the training to be so personally relevant.
“It was interesting to see how a lot of what we learnt could be applied to protecting our own wellbeing, we realised that sometimes you just need to take a moment for yourself. Every group that we went into, we all agreed that we need to start thinking about ourselves as well as other people.”
Tina had a similar realisation:
“On the outside, I’m a happy-go-lucky person. But I get down days too, and I need to recognise that. It’s OK to be off, it’s OK if you’re not your bubbly self. It’s OK for me to reach out to other people and say, ‘you know what, I need a hug today’.”
The training taught them about recognising burnout, setting boundaries and understanding that looking after yourself isn’t selfish – it’s necessary.
What makes the MHFA programme particularly powerful is that nobody is alone in this role. As Tess points out:
“When you qualify, you’re a part of a Teams group, so you’re not on your own. If you need to bounce stuff off other people, there’s always that support there.”
Every Mental Health First Aider upholds strict rules surrounding confidentiality; the Teams group is a forum for guidance and signposting support only.
This forum proved invaluable for Tina:
“I had somebody come to me and I didn’t know who to put them through to. I reached out to other Mental Health First Aiders and said, does anybody know of any organisation that could help with this? And I got a few phone numbers and group websites. That was really helpful.”
The training also provided them with practical tools, including the Hub of Hope app, which allows them to signpost people to different support services based on exactly what they need, whether that’s face-to-face support, phone consultations, or help with issues ranging from finances to childcare.
For Sharon, being a Mental Health First Aider is:
“Something to be proud of. You’re an ambassador for the company. It’s nice to be known as someone who is there to help outside of their job role.”
Tina was surprised by the real-life impact she could make:
“I saw the difference I made in someone; they were smiling and mentioning something that had previously made them upset, and it didn’t open a floodgate. I think there may have been a turning point there.”
So, what would our MHFAs say to someone considering the training?
Sharon doesn’t hesitate:
“I would say just do it. You gain so much from it. You learn so much and it’s something to be proud of. It’s quite an intense couple of days, but it’s so worth it. You could use these skills not just for work, but in your personal life too.”
Tess adds:
“Definitely do it. It’s really beneficial for yourself as well. It’s not just about looking after other people; it’s another way of being able to look after yourself.”
And Tina’s message is clear:
“Definitely go for it. You get a lot of valuable information and the support of people who are also attending. You’re not on your own. It’s a really valuable thing to do.”
Mental health challenges affect us all at some point in our lives. As Tina reminds us:
“We all have bad days, and it’s just nice to have somebody that you can turn to. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. We need to move away from the stigma of ‘stiff upper lip’ because it’s all nonsense.”
This Mental Health First Aider Day, we celebrate Sharon, Tina, Tess, and all our MHFAs who have taken this step to support their colleagues. Their compassion, openness, and commitment to breaking down barriers around mental health are making Elysium a better place to work.