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"Talking openly and honestly about mental health gives us the opportunity to empathise. It normalises difficult experiences, it helps us cope with pain. Learning to listen to ourselves and one another non-judgementally creates a bridge that deepens our understanding and connects us to hope." 

"Coping with stress in the workplace starts with being able to have a conversation with your manager, and in a mentally healthy organisation everyone should feel comfortable talking about stress."

“I believe MHFA training should be compulsory in every sector. Mental health should be valued just as much as physical health. When it gets cold outside we rush out and stock up on vitamin C but when it comes to mental health people need to learn about the possible triggers and techniques to recognise and help if an issue arises.”

“The MHFA course was a really meaningful two days. It wasn’t just about how to help our clients, but about our own resilience. We felt safe to talk about ourselves, and I opened up to my colleagues about my own experience of mental ill health for the first time. It was daunting – but it turned out that I was not at all the only one who had been through this.”

"It has opened my eyes - and my heart - to what mental health means, and how important it is to be aware and open to those who may be in pain or struggling... It has helped broaden my outlook and skills so I am more able to be there for others. I am also more aware of my own mental health and general wellbeing."

"One of the many things I took from the course was how important it is to talk, either to someone who is struggling or to talk about what you’re going through yourself...  We need to try and create an atmosphere where people are comfortable holding their hand up and saying, 'I’m struggling, can I speak to someone?'".

"Some of the most valuable experiences on the course were the honest and frank conversations I had with people in such a safe space. There were no wrong questions to ask – and that’s what really stuck with me, long after the course had finished".