Autism: A Journey to being Whole, by Laura
When I look back over the challenges I’ve faced throughout my life, I quickly realise that lots of these were heightened due to not growing up in an ‘Autism-ready’ world and that many could have been managed much better, had the signs been identified and appropriate support been offered. Prior to recognising and learning many signs of Autism, my family and I never had the answers as to why I was always “rude” as a child (I would repeatedly call “Mum, Mum, Mum”, whilst my mum would be speaking to others, and even now, I struggle to identify...
read moreMoodbeam: Communicating Feelings
At Mind Matters we are always keen to explore new products that assist people to better manage their own and others mental health and wellbeing, so it was with great pleasure that we were linked up with Christina and the team at Moodbeam and introduced to the Moodbeam One. With access to a small number of Moodbeam One devices, our team were able to try out the technology and understand the potential individual benefit at the same time as thinking about how Moodbeam may be able to benefit our clients at Mind Matters. Mind Matters works both...
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Return to Work Employer “It’s OK” Pledge, by Jane McNeice
When any employee is returning to work after a period of absence, we have things as employers that we may need to do to ease them back into new or changed systems, practices, procedures, and relationships. These help the returner to work to feel included, up-to-date with what is happening, valued, and illustrate that we care about their wellbeing. Coming back to work without any planning can cause lots of unnecessary stress on employees and prevents employers gaining the best from their returning employee. In order to achieve economic...
read moreBurn-out: high risk, high consequence, by Jane McNeice
In a global pandemic when professionals in many industries are pushed to the brink of their resources, it’s essential to recognise that no one is immune from burning-out and that the consequences of ignoring the signs of burn-out can be fatal. No matter how much a person is needed in their job, what we do not want to achieve is the saving or supporting one life at the cost of another. The well documented Japanese phenomenon of ‘Karoshi’ translates as “overwork death”. It links heart-attacks, strokes, and...
read moreMHFA: don’t forget to Refresh
Don’t forget to Refresh… In the 12 years since I first qualified as a Mental Health First Aid Instructor I’ve seen lots of change. Twelve years ago it was quite difficult to promote MHFA as the excellent training product that it was and is, and it could be exceptionally difficult to fill a training course, even at a time when a number of local organisations were offering 100% subsidised places! Of course this in itself can sometimes be the issue in that people don’t always value something they essentially view as ‘free of charge’. Thankfully...
read moreFurlough – an opportunity for learning
As we are nearing one week into our Tier 5 lockdown and many businesses are having or have had to re-Furlough employees, it’s perhaps yet another chance to step back and take stock. A significant proportion of the working population are again Furloughed and now have some additional time on their hands. For many families, this spare time is being redirected towards home-schooling children, but for others, they may already be feeling the harmful effects of loss of structure, purpose, and meaning to their day. Furlough can offer...
read moreNeurodiversity – meeting the need, by Jane McNeice
About Neurodiversity It is increasingly acknowledged by UK employers that there is a need to have a neuro-diverse workforce and that there are significant benefits of fostering such diversity. Given that estimates suggest more than 15% of the UK population are neuro-divergent (ACAS, 2020) most employers will, in fact, already be employing neuro-diverse people. Neuro-diverse diagnoses include conditions such as Autistic Spectrum Disorder, Aspersers, ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), Dyspraxia,...
read moreAdvocating a ‘Whole Business Approach’ to Mental Health Training, by Jane McNeice
As a mental health training provider who has been offering courses since 2015, we’ve had the privilege of working with a diverse range of industries across all business sectors. We’ve delivered in many venues from small community halls, churches, airports, state of the art office suites, to high-security environments, and met some fascinating people, including Benedictine monks! Some of our clients opt for individual delegate places through our open online and face-to-face courses. Some purchase one-off in-house courses and others...
read moreWhat is the right mental health training course for me: Understanding the differences across mental health training courses, by Jane McNeice
Mind Matters has on many occasion been approached by clients looking to train managers in mental health, with a specific request for Mental Health First Aid training. There’s nothing intrinsically problematic with that at all, unless you are looking for an outcome which MHFA was not specifically designed to achieve. For this reason, it’s important for clients, commissioners, and buyers to understand how mental health training courses differ and what might be the most suitable course, or courses, for your community (workforce or otherwise) and...
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