Course description

Mental health is part of every life. Any of us can struggle, and any of us can be the person who notices, asks and listens. This course helps you understand common mental health conditions, know what to say and where to point someone for help, and look after your own mental health along the way.

It's written in plain English for adults, carers, managers and volunteers, with no jargon and no assumptions. You learn what mental health is, what affects it, and the signs of depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, bipolar disorder and psychosis, using information from the NHS. You learn how to ask about suicide clearly and what to do in an emergency, how to start a conversation and listen well, and how to encourage someone to get help without taking over. Then you turn to your own wellbeing, mental health at work, and caring and volunteering, and finish with a personal support plan.

There are 10 sections and 50 written lessons, each with a worked example, common slips, questions people often ask and a short exercise to try, and each section ends with a short quiz. You follow Njeri, a volunteer coordinator at a community hub in Lancaster, Islwyn, a shift manager at a print works in Morecambe, and Losana, a school office manager who cares for her brother, through one summer and autumn. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, example answers and a cheat sheet, plus a help contacts card, a conversation guide, a wellbeing plan, a return to work planner, a carer's checklist and a signposting guide.

What you'll learn

• What mental health means: mental health and mental illness, where to get help in each UK nation and when it's urgent, kinder language, stigma, and common myths set against the facts.
• What affects our mental health: life events, pressures and protective factors, stress and worry, mental health across a lifetime, body and mind together, and spotting changes early.
• Depression and anxiety: low mood and depression, generalised anxiety, panic and phobias, mental health around pregnancy and a new baby, and how talking therapies and medicines can help.
• Other common conditions: OCD, trauma and PTSD, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, and psychosis and schizophrenia, using information from the NHS.
• Self-harm and suicide awareness: understanding self-harm, asking about suicide clearly and directly, warning signs, exactly what to do in an emergency, and looking after yourself afterwards.
• Supporting someone you're worried about: noticing when someone isn't themselves, starting the conversation, listening well, encouraging help without taking over, and boundaries.
• Looking after your own mental health: the NHS five steps to mental wellbeing, sleep and daily rhythm, knowing your own early signs, asking for help, and a personal wellbeing plan.
• Mental health at work: rights and reasonable adjustments, wellbeing conversations for managers, time off and a supported return, a team where people can speak up, and support for managers.
• Carers, volunteers and community groups: caring for someone with a mental health condition, care teams and plans, confidentiality, volunteers and groups, and carers' own wellbeing.
• Bringing it all together: a signposting guide, children and young people, five practice situations, and your final project: a personal support plan.

Who it's for

Adults who'd like to understand mental health better and support the people around them: friends and family, carers, managers and team leaders, volunteers and people who run community groups. You don't need any experience or background in health care.

What this course is, and isn't

This is an awareness course. It helps you recognise, respond and signpost; it doesn't teach you to diagnose or treat, it isn't a mental health first aid qualification, and it doesn't replace advice from a GP or other health professional. Health information comes from the NHS and other official sources. Some lessons cover self-harm and suicide, and you can pause whenever you need to. If you need help now, call 999 in an emergency, or call Samaritans free on 116 123, any time. Njeri, Islwyn, Losana and every other person in the course are fictional.

What will I learn?

• Explain what mental health is, how it differs from a mental health condition, and why language and stigma matter
• Recognise the pressures and protective factors that affect mental health, and spot early changes in yourself and others
• Describe the common signs of depression, anxiety disorders and mental health problems around a new baby, using NHS information
• Describe OCD, PTSD, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, psychosis and schizophrenia, and challenge common myths
• Ask about suicide clearly and directly, tell an emergency from an urgent situation, and know exactly who to contact in each UK nation
• Start a supportive conversation, listen well and encourage someone to get help without taking over
• Look after your own mental health with the five steps to wellbeing, your own early signs and a personal wellbeing plan
• Support colleagues at work, including wellbeing conversations, reasonable adjustments and a supported return after time off
• Support someone as a carer, volunteer or group organiser, including care plans, confidentiality and safeguarding
• Signpost to the right help and complete a personal support plan you can keep and update

Frequently asked questions