Peer support: Choosing between Mental Health First Aid and Wellbeing Champions Training

Our working relationships form a large part of our lives (the average office worker spends 1,791 hours a year with their colleagues!) and, perhaps unsurprisingly, have a significant impact on our mental health.

Which is why it is so important to have a teammate (or two) who is mental health literate and possesses the know-how to appropriately support a distressed colleague. After all, mental ill-health, grief, panic attacks, etc can happen at any time and rarely respect the boundaries of 9 to 5.

Getting proactive about peer support and ensuring that staff are trained to have conversations about mental health can provide a lifeline for colleagues in need and help foster a safe and stigma-free working environment.

In this article, we compare two courses that aim to give attendees the skills and confidence to meaningfully support their peers and signpost further professional help. Learn more about Luminate’s Wellbeing Champions Training and Mental Health First Aid training to find out which approach would suit your people and purpose best.

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Course content

Mental Health First Aid training teaches attendees the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health and provides a framework for having conversations about mental health, as well as when and how to signpost the right professional support. They will also gain an in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect our wellbeing.

The course is structured around diagnosable conditions – such as addiction, anxiety disorders, depression, and psychosis – and is heavily focused on providing reactive care to those experiencing crisis and suicide prevention.

Wellbeing Champions Training teaches attendees how to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental ill-health (in themselves and others), provides the tools to start sensitive conversations and an understanding of how they can help create environments that support positive mental health and neurodiverse inclusivity through advocacy and role modelling.

This course is focused less on mental illness diagnoses (as this can be less practically helpful in a champion role) and more on providing support as guided by the individual experiencing crisis. It encourages attendees to take both a proactive and reactive role in team wellbeing.

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Accreditation

Mental Health First Aid training is accredited by the Royal Society of Public Health and is an internationally recognised qualification! The Mental Health First Aider accreditation is received on completion of the full course and expires after 3 years unless refresher training takes place.

Wellbeing Champions Training is not accredited training. Still, Luminate provides a certificate to all Wellbeing Champions as proof of their completion of the course. Not being tied to an accrediting body also means that the course’s content does not have to be so rigid: it can be tailored (if desired) to fit an organisation’s specific wellbeing challenges and ambitions.

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Workplace-appropriate

Mental Health First Aid training is not specific to the workplace but designed to apply in all contexts: from a working environment to a family gathering, to encountering an instance of mental health crisis whilst in a public space.

Wellbeing Champions Training is specific to the workplace and teaches attendees how to appropriately support their peers and positively influence mental health within an organisation, taking into account the nuances of a workplace. Many of the teachings, however, can be also applied in a general context.

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Price point

Not too much to compare here! Both courses are the same price, are delivered over 16 hours (usually running over 2 or more days), and can accommodate up to 16 attendees per course.

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So, there you have it. Here at Luminate, we run courses to help your people make a meaningful difference to team-mental health; providing them with the skills and confidence to support themselves and others.

If you want to know more or have questions about creating mental health networks within your organisation, please don’t hesitate to?get in touch with us here.