Qualification provider supports mental health month with charity partnership

Care qualification provider Access Skills welcomed Birmingham Mind to its office for a workshop focused on awareness and stigma during Mental Health Awareness month.

The session encouraged employees to take part in open and honest discussions around mental health, including experiences of feeling judged, and the assumptions people can face both inside and outside of the workplace.

The workshop formed part of the company’s wider commitment to supporting employee wellbeing and encouraging positive conversations around mental health.

To help raise further support for Birmingham Mind and the vital work the charity delivers across the region, the team also organised a workplace bake sale following the session. Thanks to the generosity of employees, a total of £368.50 was raised, including Gift Aid.

Access Skills sales and marketing manager Joelma Easthope-Fernandes said: “Mental health affects everyone, and creating an environment where people feel safe, and supported to be able to speak openly is incredibly important to us.

“The workshop delivered by Birmingham Mind was both thought-provoking and valuable, and we are proud to support the charity and the work they do within our community.”

The event gave colleagues the opportunity not only to learn more about mental health stigma, but also to reflect on the importance of empathy, and workplace wellbeing.

A representative from Birmingham Mind said: “Each year one in four people will experience a mental health problem and it’s thanks to support from amazing fundraisers, we can continue to provide the various mental health services across Birmingham and Solihull to support people with their mental health.”

Birmingham Mind works across the West Midlands to provide mental health services, support and advice to people experiencing mental health difficulties.