At Hemisphere Freight Services, we want all of our employees to be as healthy and happy as possible, both inside and outside of work.
In order to better support our staff with any challenges they may be facing, two members of the team recently completed a mental health first aid course, delivered by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) England and St John Ambulance.
As qualified Mental Health First Aiders, Katie Murphy and Dylan Pomietlo are now able to recognise the signs and symptoms of common mental health conditions and effectively guide a colleague towards the right support.
During the two-day course, Katie and Dylan developed a greater understanding of what can cause depression, anxiety and other related issues, how certain factors can impact people in very different ways, and what might lead people to consider or attempt suicide.
Other areas covered on the course included alcohol and drug addiction, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and crisis first aid following a traumatic event.
While they may not be able to provide all of the answers, Katie and Dylan now have the ability to connect colleagues with the information or services they need, while acting as someone that anybody can approach and talk to confidentially and without judgement.
“There’s a lot of stigma around mental health, but this course demonstrated the importance of normalising it and encouraging people to come forward and talk about their own challenges,” said Katie. “It’s very encouraging to work for a company that takes mental health seriously and offers a safe, non-judgemental environment for its employees.”
Dylan said: “Despite knowing people who have had their own struggles with mental health, I still found the course incredibly hard-hitting and eye-opening. As Hemisphere continues to grow, we are becoming increasingly conscious of the impact it can have on the team, so it’s important to offer an outlet for people who want to discuss anything that is affecting them, whether it’s personal or work-related”
Please visit the MHFA website for more information on its Mental Health First Aider course.
