All Essex County FA staff members have completed an online Mental Health First Aid Course during April and May, with the second of two groups concluding their training during Mental Health Awareness Week.

By taking the course they joined a community of over half a million people in England who are trained in these skills, helping others to find the support they need. This contributes towards a vision of a society where mental health is accepted as a normal part of life, where everyone has the skills to look after their own, and other people's, wellbeing.

The interactive course was delivered through slides, video clips, activities, discussion and case studies which were explored through individual learning activities and a series of live sessions. Individual learning was completed on the MHFA Online Learning Hub in advance of each live module, which was led by an approved MHFA England Instructor. Creative Sport & Leisure and B MINDFUL also partnered with the County FA to deliver the course.

Essex County FA Chief Executive, Brendan Walshe, believed the training to be very beneficial, explaining: “Thank you to MHFA England, Creative Sport & Leisure and B MINDFUL. Everyone’s mental health needs looking after to ensure we stay well. Wellbeing is growing in awareness and evidence suggests being able to talk is very beneficial. It’s important to have conversations around mental health and signpost support when needed.”

MHFA England’s social objective is to increase the mental health literacy of the whole population and, to this end, to train one in ten adults in England. Find out more about their courses by following this link. Mental Health Awareness Week runs from Monday 10th to Sunday 16th May, and details can be found here.

Who Are the Creative Sport & Leisure and B MINDFUL?

The Creative Sport & Leisure (CSL) Group is a collection of businesses that draws upon their own specialisms within their market and come together to complement one another. This enables the group to function in a cost-effective and sustainable way.

This is achieved by drawing upon individual expertise and strengths, as and when required, to ensure an efficient and professional service is delivered to its common but wide-ranging group of customers, employers, stakeholders and learners. The group has a direct focus on sport, physical activity, education and skills sectors.

B MINDFUL are part of the CSL group and provide all aspects of mental health and wellbeing training and support to employees, strategic partners and clients. This includes Mental Health First Aid (Youth and Adult), Active IQ Level 2 Mental Health Awareness, bespoke educational, community and workplace wellbeing programmes which suit the needs of schools, colleges, employers and local charities.

CSL group and B MINDFUL provided the Essex County FA with 24 places (in two groups) on the Online Mental Health First Aid England course with an MHFA England national instructor who was well-experienced and delivered exceptionally high-quality and engaging sessions for the duration of the course.

B MINDFUL have a passion to educate individuals about mental health and to promote new, healthy behaviours and thought processes. Their vision is to break down barriers, relieve stigmas and to encourage and empower people to understand their own mental health and in others, in order to lead a healthy and successful life.

Their aim is to give individuals the tools to understand their own mental health and to spot the signs when others are struggling with theirs. They want to break down barriers and misconceptions within society which make us believe it’s not OK to say when you’re struggling.

They want to provide an open and honest platform for people to discuss mental health without worrying about stigma or judgement, and to support and guide those who need it most. Visit their website by following this link.

Instagram: b_mindfuluk and csllimited
Facebook: Creative Sport & Leisure or B Mindful
Twitter: @CSL_Limited