At the heart of what we do is our team of experienced National Trainers, who deliver the MHFA England Instructor Training programme. Read a case study from Sajda Butt, one of our National Trainers.
National Trainer
It gives people the knowledge and confidence to talk about mental health. It breaks stigma, whatever setting they’re in.” Sajda has now delivered over 70 courses in Adult and Youth MHFA skills. She has worked with football coaches, teachers and workers who support women who are vulnerable to exploitation, to name a few. Sajda enjoys working with grassroot community organisations because it creates a faster ripple effect and spreads deeper understanding of mental health. She offers some subsidised places on her courses which go to small charities and community groups with an outreach focus. One of the many different organisations Sajda works with is Approachable Parenting, which offers a 5 Pillars of Parenting course to Muslim parents. She has trained 24 parent champions so far in the Adult Mental Health Aware Half Day course. The parent champions are going on to support other parents, start conversations around mental health and help to normalise these topics. Working with the charities Barnardo’s and Spurgeons, Sajda has so far trained 120 family support workers in the Adult MHFA One Day course. Sajda found it alarming to hear about their variety of beliefs around mental health. After training, many workers shared that they better understand their communities. Sajda tries to support organisations in other ways too. She chooses to rent a room from a local charity to deliver her courses in. Sajda says: “Help Harry Help Others is the legacy of an 11-year-old boy. By renting a room from them, I can help raise their profile. It increases their impact supporting young people with cancer and gives back more.” Sajda has also been involved in CCG commissioned research. The team had an invite from Big Lottery to submit a service design for funding, based on the recommendations of the research.
This was to explore why fewer young people from South Asian communities access mental health services. Sajda thinks that language is a key component to the mental health stigma. She says: “There is no direct translation for the term ‘depression’ in Urdu, for example. Usually people use the words ‘weak’ and ‘lazy’ to describe people’s minds instead.” She has organised focus groups for the research and heard that religious fear exists, adding to the stigma. Sajda explains that having a low mood means that you may be possessed by an evil spirit and this can prevent people from talking about how they are feeling. Sajda has created parent advocates through this research so it will leave a legacy of people supporting one another. Sajda herself has lived experience of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). She returned to work after six months of leave and had a very negative experience. This led to her choosing to make a change and leaving her job shortly afterwards. She references her real-life experience whilst delivering MHFA England courses which helps her to connect with the people she trains. Sajda delivers MHFA England training with a mix of warmth, connection, professionalism and integrity. She loves that the training can change people’s mindsets around mental health. There is a realisation that there is help and hope out there. Sajda became a National Trainer for MHFA England at the end of 2018 and will run her first Instructor Training programme in June 2019. She says: “I am looking forward to using my mentoring and supervision skills in this role. I love developing people. I want to represent the communities we serve. That is the driving force for me to becoming a National Trainer. This is so important to reduce stigma around mental health.”
National Trainer case study: Sajda Butt
Sajda Butt shares her journey to becoming a National Trainer for MHFA England. She wants to reduce stigma around mental health among ethnic minority communities. Sajda has over 20 years’ experience of working in early years and family support with underprivileged families living in deprived areas of Birmingham.
Through her role supporting families in challenging situations, Sajda learnt that she needed specific skills to support
people with mental ill health. In July 2016 Sajda accepted a place on an Adult MHFA Two Day course and trained as a Mental Health First Aider.
She felt inspired to become a MHFA England instructor in January 2017. She says: “I felt that MHFA England courses could have a real impact in underprivileged communities. I knew that becoming an instructor was the most effective way to make it happen.” Sajda has a background in delivering evidence-based training.
She says: “The research base of MHFA England courses made them stand out. The training sits on a national and international body of evidence.
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