There are a number of training courses available throughout Northern Ireland in mental and emotional wellbeing and suicide prevention.  Some of these are outlined below:

Mental Emotional Wellbeing and Suicide Prevention Training

Everyone’s mental health and emotional well-being is important and many different issues can affect it.  If you would like to learn more about these issues, including the signs and symptoms of poor mental health, there are training courses available.

The key aims of courses are to help increase understanding of mental health, promote positive self-help strategies and raise awareness of the many available sources of help and support services available in Northern Ireland.  Courses are also available to help build knowledge on becoming an alert helper for those experiencing suicidal thoughts and helping those in a suicidal crisis.

The length of the courses vary depending on the level of training involved.  Some courses are delivered over a few hours where others may last a couple of days.

Courses supported by the Public Health Agency include Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST); Mental Health First Aid NI (MHFA), safeTALK, Mindset Adult and Mindset Adolescent.

Whether you are an individual interested with increasing your knowledge of mental health or an organisation wishing to provide information for staff or users, the PHA can advise on the training that is most appropriate for you.

For further information on training available in your locality contact:

A new free online programme of stress control classes has been developed to support people during the response to coronavirus (COVID-19) recognising the need to stay at home, while also recognising the impact of the pandemic and changes to our lifestyles is having on mental health.

Available at https://ni.stresscontrol.org

These sessions can help to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression. Topics covered include, an overview of what stress is, controlling your body, your thoughts, controlling your actions, and techniques to get a good night’s sleep.

Psychological First Aid

The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Red Cross advise that people are more likely to be able to psychologically cope with and recover from ongoing crisis situations like COVID-19 if they can:

• Feel safe, connected to others, calm and hopeful;

• Have access to social, physical and emotional support; and

• Feel able to help themselves, as individuals and communities.

  To support staff, the HSC NI in collaboration with the Red Cross and NHS Education Scotland has made available interim guidelines and a short E-Learning module on Psychological First Aid. Learning psychological first aid skills and understanding reactions to crisis, empowers helpers to help others and apply the same skills to their own lives.The Resources and E-Learning Webinar will help individuals and teams to help people with whom they are in contact both during and after the COVID-19 pandemic by:

• Addressing basic needs and concerns and providing practical support

• Connecting them to information, services and social supports

• Offering comfort and helping them to feel calm

• Reducing distress and fostering adaptive coping

• Protecting them from further harm

  Anyone who is not a member of the HSC Learning Centre can use a guest log in via the following link: https://www.hsclearning.com/course/view.php?id=1042.  This can be accessed at any time.

Mindset 

Mindset is a mental and emotional health and wellbeing awareness programme for adults and young people aged 14-17. You can find more information here.