Working as a mental health champion in practice

Do you feel like you’re learning, through stepping into the mental health champion role? Is there anything you're taking from it personally?

Chris Rosser (CR): I didn’t fully know what the role would entail, until I had started the training. But I’ve learned a lot from it. It’s been useful. You understand and appreciate people a bit more, in terms of their emotions and feelings.

Kelly Cato (KC): I’ve done the course, but I’ve learned a lot from Chris as well. We completed two different courses, so he has shared a lot of what he has learned with me. I’ve passed information on to Chris from mine as well.

CR: Mine was done through Mental Health Foundation England. It was a national course for Specsavers colleagues, so we did a group Teams training course, with practitioners from all over the country.

KC: Mine was Wales-specific, with people from different organisations. I was the only woman from Specsavers.

What does the mental health champion role involve?

CR: The first aspect of the role is as a point of contact for all our colleagues. If they’re struggling with their wellbeing, they’ve got someone to talk to, and we will support them. It’s a bit like being a physical first aider, where you’ve got an initial person to look after you and help you find the next stage of help if needed. They can come and talk to us in confidence, at any time, including if they want to talk outside of work.

We can also approach people if we think they need a chat: put the time and the place in, and start the conversation. That’s the first stage.

It’s a bit like being a physical first aider, where you’ve got an initial person to look after you and help you find the next stage of help if needed

The second stage is to encourage people to talk about their mental health. People find that hard, so we encourage them to talk about it, to try and reduce the stigma attached to poor mental health. 

I think it’s very important. I’ve had difficulties with my mental health in the past, as a lot of people have. Having someone to talk to makes a huge difference. If you don’t know who to talk to, it’s really hard.

It’s linked to your physical health as well. They're tied together. If you look after one, it helps with the other.

KC: When I was approached to become a mental health first aider, I went to Chris and asked what the role entailed.

I’ve got a good rapport with a lot of staff here. People can come and talk to me quite easily. I think that might have made it easier. I get along with a lot of people, so they can come to me, and it’s the same with Chris. When it’s someone that they can get on with, they can approach us easily.

How do you find a balance between having people confide in you, whilst also being your colleagues? Is keeping that separation a challenge?

CR: It is sometimes a challenge. I’ve been at the practice 17 years now, so I’ve worked with some people a long time, and they know they can talk to me anyway. We’ve got some lifelong friends working here.

Once they have talked to me, and I’ve made it clear it's in confidence, colleagues are more comfortable coming back. I can check in regularly, keeping an eye on them. You ask people every day how they are, but when you’ve had a conversation in the past, it’s more: ‘how are you really?’ People will open up, if they’ve spoken to you before.

Equally, you’ve got to retain boundaries, and not take on too much yourself, because it does weigh on you.

What do you think the role brings in terms of positive benefits? 

CR: It’s really, really important. Again, like a physical first aider, it’s essential to have one in every workplace. You cut yourself, you’re bleeding – what do you do? I’ve talked to quite a few people since I’ve been doing the role, and it’s made a difference for them. They appreciate having someone to talk to, and they know that they can come and talk to us any day of the week. It’s understood by management that, if somebody is at crisis point, we will drop what we’re doing and look after them.

People don’t always know where to go. We created a list of contacts: phone helplines, websites, support groups. If people say they are struggling with anxiety, we can provide them with links. We can support them when they do it. If they don’t feel like making a phone call themselves, we’ll sit with them or arrange appointments for them.

It’s really hard to ask for help, but once you have, and you realise people are there to help you, it takes a weight off your mind. 

KC: I think it is valuable. We are both here most of the time. If someone is at breaking point or in crisis, we’re here to help them and point them in the right direction.

It’s the first job I’ve had where we’ve had a mental health first aider in store. Where I worked in the past, that would have helped a lot.

CR: We encourage people to talk about it. Our director has got his mental health first aid badge. I’ve had patients ask me about it, and saying they’ve never heard of it before. When you explain the role, they’re interested. I think there are now a million mental health first aiders in the UK. It is becoming more widespread.

KC: I’ve had quite a few members of staff come forward to me quite willingly, and ask me for a chat. As Chris said, we can go to management, drop what we’re doing, and take that person away. They know it’s all in confidence, and that we won’t go any further – unless it is something quite serious. In that case, I would seek advice. I’d ask if they were okay for me to share it with Chris, so we could get together and see what the next steps are.

What is the most challenging aspect of the mental health role?

CR: I’d like to put more time into it, but it is difficult when we have a full-time job to do. We also have a wellbeing intranet page, which we update with contact information, and things to do monthly and every day. Anybody can access that. That takes a little bit of time, but again, management know this is part of our role, so we make time for that. Like a first aid emergency, you drop everything, because that is more important.

The challenge is balancing it with everything else, and looking after your own wellbeing. You do have a lot going on in your mind, if you’ve talked to a few different people, and you do worry about them. It does weigh on your mind sometimes, when you know they’re struggling. You have to look after yourself too. Kelly and I can obviously talk to each other too, as we're both trained. We’ve got back-up and support, which is great.

How does it make you feel, on a personal level, to be that point of contact and support for your colleagues?

CR: It’s really valuable to me. I’ve had difficulties in the past, and I’ve had a close friend who helped me out, and that that was a huge thing to me. Being able to help people has given me a bit more purpose in my life. I’m here to help people, so I feel better for doing that. I can see the difference it has made to people who have spoken to me, who have said I’m easy to talk to and have thanked me for my help. It’s making a valuable contribution to people’s lives. It means a lot.

KC: It means a lot to me as well. I've had struggles, and I feel like, in giving help to my colleagues, I'm giving it back. It's nice to return the help I was given in the past.

What would you say to other practices about putting mental health champions in place?

KC: Definitely do it. It’s so, so worth it.

CR: Everybody is going through something that you know nothing about, often in their life outside of work. It can weigh on people. Stress is a huge thing. It makes people physically and mentally ill. Most workplaces have a lot of stress. Having somebody there, like a first aider, means someone to talk to and someone to share that load with, and it makes such a big difference.

People think their problems are their own, and they can’t do anything about them. But actually, we can help them.