A mental health champion is someone who has been trained to offer help to those who need some additional support when they are struggling. They organise events, promote positive mental health and offer a listening ear to those who need it.
What is a mental health champion?
Being a mental health champion means that you are someone who has undergone training to support those who are struggling with their mental health and are prepared to spread awareness on the subject.
A mental health champion is someone who is always available to provide support, not just someone who is around in a crisis. They will try to reduce the stigma around mental illnesses and promote an environment where people feel comfortable to bring up any issues they might be facing without fear of judgement.
How do you become a mental health champion?
Anyone can become a mental health champion. You can do this through a few different methods around your workplace, for example getting involved in campaigns and activities set up to improve mental health.
You can also research and stay up to date on the latest findings regarding mental health, so that you are aware of the best practices and how you can help in a wider sense instead of just within your workplace.
Another way that you can become a mental health champion is by talking about your own experiences, if and when you feel comfortable. This will help to reduce the stigma around mental illness and allow others to see you as someone who can relate to their experiences. It will also potentially set you up as someone who will listen to what they are saying without judgement, providing them with a safe space to come forward if they need to.
Mental health training
There are specific training courses available to become a mental health champion at your workplace, like our Mental Health First Aid Champions online course.
These courses will take you through what you need to know to promote a healthy environment for mental wellbeing and recognise the signs for when someone is struggling.
What do they do?
Mental health champions are an important part of the workforce, playing a key role in providing support for those who need it.
There is no set task list that every champion will follow, but the main responsibilities are the same:
- Develop a strategy and some activities to encourage people to take care of their mental health.
- Speak about mental health topics in meetings, etc.
- Provide one-on-one support.
- Create a more welcoming and inclusive workspace.
- Reduce the stigma around mental health.
- Advising managers of areas that require improvement.
Why should your company have a mental health champion?
Having a mental health champion could benefit your company in numerous ways, the main one being to make your workplace a more welcoming, supportive and inclusive environment.
Providing a safe place to talk
Sometimes people will keep things bottled up until they overflow because there isn’t anywhere they feel they can turn. Having someone that people can talk to who won’t judge them will mean that they are more likely to come forward when there is an issue.
This makes it easier to spot the early warning signs and send people in the direction of sources that could provide further help and advice when it’s needed.
Reducing the stigma around mental health
As mentioned before, having someone on hand who is trained and will listen without judgement will make it more likely that people will come forward if there is an issue.
At the same time, having people talk about mental health and the issues that can crop up will reduce the stigma around struggling. This also makes people more likely to speak up when they are struggling which will help to prevent their condition from becoming worse.
Improving mental wellbeing in the workplace
Having a mental health champion at work can improve the general mental wellbeing in the workplace, acting as a go between for the management and staff, raising concerns when needed and organising events to further everyone’s understanding of mental health issues and how to help those who are struggling.
Having a good environment will make your employees happier and create a better working environment overall. It will also improve staff retention and their concentration while at work due to lower stress levels. After all, in 2022 the fifth most common reason for people being off sick was their mental health.
Our Mental Health Courses:
Read our other blogs for more information on first aid or contact us for further advice and information on our courses.