MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

geek84

Hi Folks

As some of you may be aware, that has been a lot of news recently about mental health.

One of my best friends committed suicide a few years ago because he could not cope with his mental issues, and another friend of mine is going through some mental health issues at the moment.

I thought it was a good idea to train myself up or go on a training course in order to become a mental health advisor/counsellor..

Is anybody aware of any suitable online courses?

Thanks in advance for your responses.

jerry1123hill

Hi Geek
Its is a hard field to train in as it can be very challenging, some of the issues you come up against require an incredible amount of patience and you have to be very resilient. Most counsellors back up their studies by doing voluntary counselling work and gain experience in that way. Before committing to the training it would be well worth your while volunteering on a short term basis with somebody like a homelessness charity, you will get first hand experience of the range of issues you will be likely to find at work and see if you feel it would be for you. I found the field very difficult as your really face some pretty enormous issues, many of which take a very long time to address.
Make sure it is for you !!

amurray

Hi geek84, Firstly I am sorry to hear of the tragedy of your friend passing.

It's fantastic you wish to train within this field and help support others.

I can highly recommend the MHFA (Mental Health First Aid) England, training course. They offer 1/2, 1 & 2 Days courses - all across the UK. These are all classroom based. It is a fantastic qualification with a diverse range of topics being taught.

Alternatively there are courses available online from a company called ProTrainings UK, there are 3 levels which are completed online only, these are great also!

These 2 courses above really help you to understand the specific areas of both Mental Health & Mental Health Illnesses, spotting the signs and how to offer support to a friend, family member or someone in the workplace. However by no means do they train you to become a counsellor. There are industry specific qualifications for this, maybe visit the BACP (The British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy). Or contact the charity MIND, I know they offer training but am not sure what is offered.

amonstro

It's not your job to save anyone, you're not the reason they feel or act the way they do. You can only be a good friend and i hope it works out for your friend and you.

If you wanted to be more aware then you could try the courses provided by local councils (we used to get magazines through the door offering a collection of courses). These are short-courses for anything from GCSE, A-Level, Introduction to Cooking, Health & Safety, First Aid, Introduction to Computing/internet and courses like mental health awareness. These range of courses are short and cheap. You won't be an expert but it might help develop some awareness, before you would then commit to any career change and give you just enough awareness for the variables involved in identifying mental health factors?

I would also consider whether being a mental health advisor fits your personality type. The reason i like accounting is because i know I'm very logical, pragmatic and not very sensitive in regards to decisions. This would make me not very suited to the career path in what you're considering where the traits of reflective, intuitive, social and sensitivity might be better dominant personality traits - just because you can do something does not always make it the best option for a career.

geek84

Thanks very much indeed for your responses folks

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