Mental health!! There is a lot of talk about mental health and yet in general, speaking from a Mental Health Professionals point of view, there is still a great deal of confusion and ignorance about the subject. The subject is a large and complex one that covers a range of other subjects within it, each equally complex in its own right.
Take depression, there are so many books, articles, blogs and websites with volumes of information on what, on many occasions, contradicts itself. Add to that co-morbid issues such as dementia, drugs, alcohol, physical illness, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm, etc, again with books, blogs and websites, it is no wonder that people get confused. Sadly it is the same for all other forms of mental health problem too.
Can mental health training be simplified? Yes it can, though this doesn’t always equip people to deal with mental health problems effectively. Mental health training needs to keep two things in mind, firstly, the mental health problems being experienced by the individual or group of people being cared for, and secondly, the role and responsibility of the person providing the care and support.
Once this has been determined, the an effective training programme can be developed. A training programme that includes the skills, knowledge and understanding that meet the two criteria mentioned above.
It may be that one service user needs a bespoke training programme for the people caring for them. How can this be cost effective? In may ways. The growth of staffs professional skills, knowledge and understanding (transferable to other situations), better care planning, risk assessment and management, a potential reduction of safeguarding issues and an increase in the quality of care being delivered to the service user.
Train for Care can support in the the development and delivery of bespoke, flexible and affordable training programmes on Mental Health.