Gaining leadership skills in mental health has never been so pressing for modern leaders and coaches. Discover why it’s essential to improve mental health and wellbeing awareness with accredited coaching courses.
What was once a taboo subject for discussion is now considered a central theme within our homes and workplaces. The validation of mental health is no longer up for debate, with its clinical categorisation as a medical condition the same as heart disease or diabetes.
For all aspiring leaders and coaches, gaining an awareness of mental health has become an integral element for your leadership development and career prospects.
When we see MHFA England report that one in four people experience mental health issues each year, it’s also in the interest of organisations to train their leaders in mental health awareness as well as incentivising improvements to overall wellbeing.
Why Mental Health Awareness Is Important
Mental health is one of the largest sources of disease or disability worldwide.
However, for its stature, it remains one of the most elusive. Despite becoming a more prevalent and appreciated issue in society, people still don’t like to talk about it.
But whether it’s being discussed or not, mental health and wellbeing are essential for people’s personal development.
At the very foundation of mental health and wellbeing are:
- Emotions
- Thinking
- Communication
- Learning
- Resilience
- Self-esteem
As a leader at any level, if you’re going to inspire your clients or teams, you need all these mental elements healthy and strong. So, how do you try to develop someone suffering from mental health when you don’t understand it?
Research shows that work is the biggest cause of stress contributing to poor mental health. Mental health issues are also incredibly costly to employers. For example, depression causes an estimated 70 million lost workdays each year in the UK. That’s an annual cost of around £2.4 billion.
Mental Health in the Workplace
All employers have a duty of care to support the health and safety of their employees. So, it’s vital for all leaders in the workplace, whether you’re a CEO, executive, director, manager or supervisor, to understand the importance of mental health awareness under the law of the Equality Act 2010.
Mistaking an employee’s mental health for incompetence could cause huge legal issues and go beyond bullying as a criminal offence.
Diversity, equality and inclusion are now major pillars for the structure and function of company culture. Mental health can no longer be disregarded or left unattended. Forbes reports that 62% of employees want leadership to speak openly about mental health.
Types of Mental Health Training
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace
As well as creating an open and comfortable environment to talk about mental health in the workplace, employers can also prepare with mental health first aid training.
This training will enable all leaders in the workplace to recognise a wide range of mental health issues while developing the understanding and skills to support people with professional guidance provided by healthcare specialists.
Wellbeing Coach Training
All coaches must operate on a personal level. Whether you’re a life coach or an NLP Practitioner, part of your duty is to develop strong relationships with your clients so you can get the best out of their potential.
As a coach, it’s natural to offer your clients a confidential space where you set goals and discuss their aspirations. Part of this process is understanding the clients’ challenges, and with these challenges can emerge mental health issues. These issues will affect their ability to reach their goals but will cause damage to their overall wellbeing too.
Whilst we’re able to support our clients with our coaching, it’s also important to recognise any symptoms of mental health conditions.
Many people who seek a life coach or NLP Practitioner suffer from anxiety. Without preparing yourself for the reality of clients’ complex emotional and mental conditions, you will be left unable to help them.
While the rate of mental health issues is so high, it’s rare for a coach to not deal with a client who suffers or will suffer from a mental health condition in some shape or form. For this reason, it’s essential for any coach, no matter your field or industry, to gain a comprehensive understanding of mental health and wellbeing.
As a result of this growing importance of mental health awareness, there are now dedicated health and wellbeing coaching courses to establish professional mental health and wellbeing coaches.
What Is a Health and Wellbeing Coach?
Health and Wellbeing coaches (HWBCs) use their knowledge and skills to support people suffering from mental illnesses and health issues.
They will give people the insight and capabilities to build confidence, so they may reach their health and wellbeing goals. To be a successful wellbeing coach, you will need:
- Mental health awareness
- Coaching ability
- Emotional intelligence
Like traditional coaches, a health and wellbeing coach will help their clients identify their issues, reach their goals and promote positive risk-taking and personal choice. What distinguishes a wellbeing coach from any other coach is their focus on the wellbeing of their client.
How to Become a Certified Mental Health Coach
Certification is not strictly necessary if you’re wishing to specialise as a wellbeing coach. However, it is highly recommended that you gain relevant certification from accredited educators and governing bodies to ensure you can fulfil your duties correctly.
Becoming a wellbeing coach is a fulfilling career for someone with a passion for coaching and a vested interest in wellbeing. Due to the complexities of mental health, there are many avenues you can take and areas where you may specialise.
To excel in this role, you must commit to educating yourself and be prepared to deal with vulnerable people who need support for their own wellbeing. Some cases have the potential to be chronically depressed or suicidal.
Health and Wellbeing Coaching Courses on Offer at the UKCPD
Whether you’re looking to gain a greater awareness of mental health to support the wellbeing of your staff or clients or you want to specialise fully in wellbeing coaching, then it’s a good idea to find an accredited course or training programme.
UKCPD offers courses in mental health awareness, dealing with anxiety and first aid for mental health. All our courses concerned with wellbeing are accredited and appeal to a variety of leaders in the workplace or coaching.
This course is CPD accredited, with 14 CPD credits along with FAA Level 3 Award in Supervising First Aid For Mental Health. As a prerequisite, you must have a Level 3 Coach Qualification or be an NLP Practitioner.
The qualification structure of this course includes an FAA accreditation, consisting of one mandatory unit with a written-multiple choice assessment.
This course is CPD accredited and awards 8 CPD credits, this course is suitable for qualified Coaches & NLP Practitioners.
Mental Health Awareness Training For Organisations
The above are primarily aimed at individual practitioners, for those looking for Mental Health Awareness Training for their organisation we have a super flexible approach with 3 levels available, CLICK HERE to see how we can bring this important training to your team and organisation.
If you’re interested in becoming a better leader, it’s in your interest to improve your mental health awareness while harbouring the skills required to recognise, support and encourage wellbeing.
Contact us today to start elevating your mental health and wellbeing coaching programme.
