Dan Jones, North west jointing supervisor
From speaking to other people, I’ve found that most of us will be connected to somebody who has experienced issues around mental health, whether that’s on a personal level or a family member or a friend. When I joined Aptus I was working on site as a jointer and thought it might be useful for the lads to have someone that they could chat to, particularly
Wendy Little, Penrith depot manager Working in a male-dominated workforce, I thought it would be a good idea to have a better understanding of mental health as men especially are not the best at opening up to people.
working in a male led industry, and that the Mental Health First Aid
training would help. Since being promoted to supervisor I’m office based but when I visit our stores at Leyland, I will always ask how people are – they know I’m MHFA trained so I’m a point of contact they can count on, if needed. Dave Seekings, Stores operative, Leyland Through the knowledge I’ve gained I’ve been able to help a couple of colleagues who approached me after seeing me listed as one of the company’s first aiders. In each instance, we talked through the issues they were facing and discussed some coping strategies. The training helped me to feel more confident in offering support. I also think the training helps you to identify body language that can indicate when there may be a problem. In my role I can see up to 50-60 colleagues a day, from drivers to operatives and others, and I like to check in and see if they are okay. It’s all about building those relationships and letting people know you are there if they need a bit of extra support.
I’d say it’s given me a better understanding of how to support people and look for signs rather than be judgemental. I’ve not really had to apply these skills directly, as far as I’m aware, but I am a good
listener and often lads I’ve not seen in a while say I’ve cheered them up just by listening.
I think the more MHFAs there are in a company the better as you just never know what someone is going through or thinking, and you may help someone more than you think.
IF SOMEONE IS IN CRISIS SEEK IMMEDIATE HELP – CALL 999 OR THE SAMARITANS ON 116 123
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APTUS CONNECTIONS // ISSUE 14
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