Introduction

Thank you to everyone who attended our webinar.

As part of our ongoing approach to mental health, we would be delighted for you to watch our one-hour Anixety and bigger picture webinar that took place on Wednesday 17th May 2023.

The session was be hosted by Deborah Ayris, Head of Mental Health Training and featured a number of experts.

In our webinar, our panel of experts discussed increasing awareness and understanding of anxiety and introduced some actions that employers can take to support those in the workplace who experience anxiety to be proactive in supporting the well-being of their people.

If you cannot see the webinar recording on this page, please accept St John Ambulance cookies and copy and paste this landing page into incognito mode.

https://www.sja.org.uk/course-information/guidance-and-help/mental-health-resources/anxiety-and-the-bigger-picture-webinar/

This year's theme

The Mental Health Awareness Week (15th - 21st May 2023) theme is Anxiety. 

Anxiety can manifest in unique and individual ways like any mental health condition.

A recent survey by the Mental Health Foundation showed that a 1/4 of adults felt so anxious it stopped them from doing the things they wanted to some or all of the time and at least 6/10 adults feel this way some of the time but it is one of the most common mental health problems.  Mental Health Awareness Week 2023 | Mental Health Foundation.

Factors that may trigger anxiety in individuals will be different and people who experience anxiety may develop their own coping strategies to manage this. Taking a whole-person approach, employers need to recognise when someone may be in a heightened state of anxiety, what the implications are of this and how to support that individual. Not managing anxiety can lead to further decline in mental and physical health with some individuals ideating about suicide or completing the act of taking their own life.

Speakers

Deborah Ayris

Head of Mental Health Training, St John Ambulance

Deborah's career spans working within the NHS, the care sector, and education. She has worked for SJA for nearly 9 years, heading up the mental health and wellbeing training and delivery for the past 4 ½ years.
Her role encompasses responsibility for product development and delivery, contributing to our organisational Mental Health Strategy, and acting as a subject specialist advisor to customers.
She has many reasons for being interested in Mental Health and well-being, not least having an almost lifelong lived experience of poor mental episodes but she has seen how good education around mental health and well-being, and good management of individuals who do experience poor mental health can help someone thrive and achieve success with the proper support in place.

 

 

Sam Fuller

The Wellbeing Project

Sam Fuller is the founder and CEO of The Wellbeing Project, a leading workplace wellbeing consultancy. Sam has worked with some of the world’s biggest brands to build high performing cultures with wellbeing at the heart. She works directly with senior leaders and teams as a resilience and wellbeing expert, specialising in both physical and mental resilience, neuroscience, energy and change management.

 

 

Donna Hall

Liverpool City Council

Donna Hall is Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Workforce & Training Lead for Liverpool City Council. With 20 years local government experience, she has a passion for ensuring that people are supported to be their authentic self, and that the culture of the organisation is there to support this. Donna understands that mental health is not something that happens in isolation in a person’s life, so being able to come to work and face fewer barriers is a key factor to support.

 

 

Katy Cullum Birtwistle

Service Manager at Rightsteps and Livelife

PG Diploma in Counselling & Psychotherapy, Accredited Mediator (UK Mediation)

Registered Member of BACP

Employee mental health and wellbeing has never been more important and as Service Manager for Rightsteps and Livelife, I lead an experienced team of therapists to facilitate counselling, emotional wellbeing group sessions and wellbeing training on a range of contemporary and relevant topics that support mental wellbeing in the workplace and beyond. I am a Psychotherapist, Mediator and Trainer with over 10 years’ experience of working with clients and helping them to improve their mental and emotional wellbeing. I am passionate about encouraging both leaders and employees to thrive at work and I believe that ensuring that there is time for reflection, training and personal development organisations can improve staff retention and create a happy creative workplace.

 

 

Paul Vernon

National Training Manager for Mental Health & Wellbeing, St John Ambulance

A career spanning two decades in education with almost a decade in construction including running a multi-award-winning social enterprise construction company, in the areas of corporate social responsibility and economic regeneration and lecturing on standards and employee wellbeing internationally.

My role as national training manager for Mental Health and Wellbeing allows me to be part of something that makes a difference to people and sectors and helps highlight the importance, of creating a positive workplace environment for mental health.