Wellbeing 1st Responders

IS EVERYONE IN GOOD MENTAL HEALTH?

Our premise is that all employees are in good mental health, they are not mentally-ill.  We use the analogy of the 'River of Life'  to express the wellbeing continuum.  We all want to stay on the bridge, performing at our optimum, but occasionally through life's pressures we fall in the river and find ourselves knee deep in water.  We just need a helping hand with a friendly conversation to pull us out and back on the bridge.  If life gets a little more pressurising we may find ourselves struggling in the water and need more help than is immediately available.  Signposting to get that help is what we require to avoid drifting out of our depth into crisis, physical and mental illness .

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE ROLE OF WELLBEING 1ST RSEPONDERS

Wellbeing 1st Responders are fully trained volunteers who are pivotal to the promotion of positive mental health on their team.  They are there to keep people on the bridge, having that comforting conversation when they perceive that something isn't quite right.  They recognise the boundaries of their role and readily signpost a colleague to more qualified support, when necessary. 

Wellbeing 1st Responders are not medically trained, rather their training focuses on the brain science that causes routine anxiety and stress.  They know that a quick change in body chemistry is usually sufficient for a person to privately resolve their situation, and get them thriving once again on the bridge.  They are trained in how to engage with colleagues and how to have that important conversation, including plenty of practice in a safe environment.  Additionally, they are provided with supervision support to help them overcome challenging situations.

Wellbeing 1st Responders invite all of their colleagues to complete a Care and Resilience Index (CARI) online questionnaire.  This provides a personal and confidential profile of a person's state of wellbeing and opens up a range of free support interventions that they can independently practice in their own time.  These are all designed to help a person change and manage their body chemistry to keep them functioning at their best, particularly when facing challenging situations at work or in their private life.

HOW MANY WELLBEING 1ST RESPONDERS ARE REQUIRED?

Usually there will be one Wellbeing 1st Responder per twenty employees and their role is to keep an eye-out for their colleagues and have a safe conversation with them if they look like they need support.  In this way, they have a key role in prevention of mental health problems and providing a role model for others.

HOW CAN THE LEVEL OF MENTAL HEALTH BE RISK MANAGED ACROSS THE ORGANISATION?

Wellbeing 1st Responders have access to the confidential CARI data that reflects where the state of mental health across the organisation.  More information about CARI can be found here.