New mental health training to tackle stigma and signpost to services launched in Health Information Week | News and Events

New mental health training to tackle stigma and signpost to services launched in Health Information Week

A new training course has been launched to coincide with Health Information Week (2 – 8 July 2018) to help reduce stigma and promote the services available to people experiencing mental health problems.

Bolton Primary Care Psychological Therapy Service, which is part of Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), is running the mental health training for health and social care professionals.

The training to promote mental wellbeing, raise awareness and reduce the stigma surrounding mental health is for health visitors, midwives, family and school nurses, social workers, pharmacists and housing staff. Increasing their capability to spot signs and symptoms with their patients, and feel confident in discussing this with those who are struggling to signpost them to the Psychological Therapy Service.

The initiative is in response to research, which shows that there is a strong social stigma attached to mental ill health despite one in four people experiencing a mental health problem at some point in their lives.

GMMH’s Bolton Primary Care Psychological Therapy Service developed the training course specifically to encourage open dialogue amongst health and social care professionals, so they feel confident starting conversations around mental health and have the tools and knowledge to explore new or different ways of responding to people with mental health problems.

The training called ‘Tricky Conversations’ helps to ensure prevention of ill mental health and, were applicable, outlines how to identify individuals at greatest risk of mental health problems, promotes health and recovery and signposts to mental health support services available in Bolton.

The training is facilitated by Jo Morris, Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner/Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner for GMMH, and Jo Hough, Team Leader of GMMH’s Single Point of Access Team in Bolton.

Jo Morris, Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner for Bolton Primary Care Psychological Therapy Service at GMMH, said: “We want to ensure that mental health improvement is integrated into health and social care professional’s daily work, so they feel confident talking about mental health and know how to respond, as mental health problems are common and can be treated.”

Bolton Primary Care Psychological Therapy Service will be available on a stall at Bolton Library on Thursday 5 July and Friday 6 July from 11am to 3pm, as part of Bolton Library and Museum Services’ health events for Health Information Week.

GMMH’s Bolton Primary Care Psychological Therapy Service provides free, confidential talking therapies for adults aged 16 years and over experiencing depression, anxiety, stress, panic, sleep difficulties, PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder), OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) or phobias. If you want help from the service you can self refer by contacting Single Point of Access on 01204 483 101 or applying online via http://www.iaptportal.co.uk/bolt.html.

If you are a health and social care professional and would like to find out more about the ‘Tricky Conversations’ training, please contact Jo Morris by phoning 0161 358 3379 or emailing Joanne.Morris@gmmh.nhs.uk.

 

ENDS

 

Notes for Editors

  1. Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH) provides district mental health services in Bolton, Salford, Trafford and Manchester. GMMH also provides substance misuse services in Bolton, Salford, Trafford, Central Lancashire and Cumbria.
  2. GMMH delivers specialist mental health and substance misuse inpatient services throughout Greater Manchester and the wider North.
  3. A photo (left to right) of Jo Hough, Team Leader of GMMH’s Single Point of Access Team in Bolton and Jo Morris, GMMH’s Primary Care Mental Health Practitioner/Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner, delivering Tricky Conversations training is attached to this email.

     

For media enquiries, contact the press office on 0161 358 1643 or email clare.buckley@gmmh.nhs.uk.

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