When you connect to the helpline, the counsellor will provide ‘in the moment’ support to help with the issue you have contacted Care first for. Throughout the session the counsellor will assess your situation and what support is most clinically appropriate for you. There are a number of different possible outcomes. The examples below will give you an idea of how your call may be handled.

Outcome 1 – Your initial call with the counsellor will provide you with the support you need ‘in the moment’ and no further support is recommended.
Outcome 2 – During your session with the counsellor they may recommend addition sessions of counselling on the telephone, video or face to face.
Outcome 3 – It may be that the reasons you have contacted us are more appropriately supported by one of our support partners or an alternative service. In this case, the counsellor may refer you to a charity or specialist organisation that work with the specific issue you called about, or refer you on to another service that can offer you the most clinically suitable support for what you are going through. This may include your
GP or alternative NHS services.
Finally – they will assure you that no matter what route you take you can still always use the helpline for any ‘in the moment’ support you may need at any time of the day.

If you need practical advice from one of our Telephone Information Specialists (TIS) they will support you as soon as you contact the service and provide you with any information you may need. Care first Telephone Information Specialists are available 8am-8pm Monday- Friday.

All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Your Counselling Call to Care first’ this is being delivered live on Monday 27th March at 12pm, please use the below link to register for this session – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2486392044203929949

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

Below are some example scenarios and a breakdown of how Care first would support each situation. It is however important to highlight that each case is supported on a case by case basis and what may be clinically appropriate to support one client’s situation may not be suitable for another individual –

Monday  March 27th, 2023  at 12pm – ‘Your counselling call to care first’

This webinar provides an overview of what you can expect when making a call
to the counselling help line

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2486392044203929949

Wednesday March 29th, 2023 at 12pm – ‘How Care First can support you’

A webinar for awareness and how to access the EAP service provided by Care first.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3060807704884077653

Friday March 31st, 2023 at 12pm – ‘Stepping in to Spring’

A session highlighting the impact of changing seasons, the start of warmer
weather and giving tips for activities you can participant in to improve your
general wellbeing.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4497005186243295319

You Are Not Alone – Support For Managers

Your employer has made an investment in staff wellbeing. Care first provides a confidential service for information, advice and counselling which is available to staff free of charge. As a Manager you may be responsible for compliance with Health & Safety legislation and your ‘duty of care’. Knowing how to make the most of Care first services will help you to help your people.

Services

All staff have access to the following services:

• Freephone advice, information and counselling service
• 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year
• Care first Lifestyle site

Managers have access to additional help:

• Support and information service for Managers
• Management consultancy
• Informal management referral to initiate ‘In the moment’ support for an employee

The level of support a Manager is able to give will depend on the nature of the problem and the time available. Help from Care first may also be appropriate.

There are a number of options:

Self-Referral

Encourage the individual to contact Care first on the dedicated Freephone helpline number – a confidential service which is available 24 hours a day. The person who answers will be a Counsellor and the employee only needs to identify the organisation they work for. The caller can maintain contact with one Care first telephone counsellor at a mutually agreed time over a period of weeks or they can be referred for structured telephone or face-to-face counselling if appropriate.

Management Support

If the problem is unfamiliar or complex – or if the employee is denying the problem and resisting the opportunity to seek help – you may find it useful to talk to Care first yourself. We can discuss the wider implications and likely effects, and explore options for appropriate management of the employee. However, in view of confidentiality, we will not confirm or deny whether an employee has called Care first.

Informal Management Referral

If the situation is unusually sensitive or the employee is extremely distressed, with the consent of the employee, you can make an Informal Management Referral. You will be asked to hand the phone over to the employee who is seeking support, so you will need to be with the employee in person and in a position to do this. You can then leave the area to
allow the individual to have their initial call with Care first. Any further support agreed will not be disclosed to the Manager.

Management Consultancy

Care first provides professional management consultancy to deal effectively with a wide range of people problems. If you want to discuss your approach to sickness absence, bullying or harassment, grievances, disciplinary action or any other difficulties you are having with your staff, just call the freephone number for informed advice.

Noticing problems

Both workplace and personal problems can affect the performance of an employee at work. For some, the combination of workplace difficulties with personal concerns can lead to a deterioration of performance at work. Change can be a major source of pressure: even changes that are positive, such as responses to innovation and improvements in efficiency, can provoke negative reactions among employees.

For some individuals it will not be possible to contain their anxiety and work effectively. As a Manager, you may be the first to identify those who are not coping well. Indicators that somebody may not be coping include:

• Poor workplace relations
• Poor time-keeping
• Becoming withdrawn
• Increased errors or accidents
• Tensions and conflict in workplace
• Reduced work output
• Loss of motivation and commitment
• Deterioration in personal standards
• Increased sickness absence
• Emotional outbursts

More information and Management support is available by accessing the Manager’s Area on the Care first Lifestyle site https://carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk/extranet/managers-area

*Your log-in details will be unique to your organisation and available from you HR department.

MHFA (Mental health First Aider) Support Service

Care first supports the MHFA’s from your customer organisation by making available, the use of the help line to offer immediate support should you have a difficult conversation with someone which has impacted you. A call to Care first is not supervision. It is a one off support call to help you within your role as an MHFA.

More information and MHFA support is available by accessing the below link on the Care first Lifestyle site.

https://carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk/extranet/health/mental-health/mental-health-first-aid

*Your log-in details will be unique to your organisation and available from you HR department.

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Care first Management and MHFA (Mental Health First Aider) Support Service’ this is being delivered live on Friday 24th March, please use the below link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4073241310120812379

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

Counselling support

Our team of professionally trained, qualified and BACP Accredited Counsellors are available 24/7 to offer support for personal or workplace related issues. As well as the headline issues surrounding mental health, our Care first counsellors are also trained in dealing with both work and home grievances, bullying & harassment issues, domestic violence, relationships at both home and at work and much more. No matter how big or small the problem may be, our counsellors are here for you to provide you with unbiased support away from the situation. Everyone has very individual needs for support, Care first provides short term focussed counselling, so the Care first Counsellor will assess your circumstances when you call to establish what the most appropriate form of support will be for you. It might be that you just need a brief conversation with the Counsellor that day, or you may benefit from a few more sessions.

Information Specialists

As control, or the lack of it, can be an influencing factor on the impact of stress. Many individuals identify stress as emotional, however, a lack of control around practical issues can be just as impactful. We have expert advisors that have been trained by Citizens Advice who can provide you with comprehensive answers and assistance on a wide range of practical issues which can affect our daily life, these include but are not limited to; redundancy, advice on funerals and probate, legal information, housing and tenancy issues, childcare, eldercare, health, consumer issues, employment, travel and education. Our Information Specialists are also money trained experts and can provide support with a variety of financial queries such as help with budgeting finances and advice with benefits. You can speak with one of our Information Specialists confidentially Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm.

Management Support

If you are a manager, have leadership responsibilities, or look after a team within your organisation, it is as important as ever that your colleagues are made aware of the range of support available from Care first. As well as supporting you to signpost your colleagues to the Care first service effectively to maintain your managerial boundaries, Care first can also provide you with support within your role as a manager. Care first Counsellors are all management trained and can provide support with issues such as if the organisation is going through a period of redundancy, managing change and difficult conversations, workplace performance, remote working, absence management and disciplinary.

Care first Lifestyle

Through the Care first lifestyle site you can access a wide range of supportive information, read helpful articles published by our team, view Webinars covering a variety of well-being topics and even speak with a Care first Counsellor in real-time via our online counselling facility.

You can log into your account by visiting www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk and logging in using your organisation’s unique log in details. If you are unsure what these details are then please contact your line manager or HR department. The Care first Lifestyle website is great place to go to learn more about Care first and the different areas that we can support in.

How all of these above services link together

As you can see from the above table, all the services that we offer complement each other to ultimately encompass an individual’s overall mental and physical wellbeing, which enables individuals to access professional and clinically proven support.

Our counselling support is available 24/7 to help individuals with any emotional issues that they may have. Our Information Specialists can help individuals with practical information and advice. This practical support is so important because if an individual is concerned about a practical issue, then this can cause detrimental effects to their emotional wellbeing. By getting some support from an Information Specialist this will provide the individual with some clarity on that particular issue, which may help them to feel more in control of a situation and relieve some anxiety.

The Care first Lifestyle site can help individuals who are concerned about an issue. The individual may not know where to start and they can have a look at the resources on our Lifestyle website which may be enough to help them. The Lifestyle website is a great starting place to learn about the types of issues that Care first can support with. The individual can also access our online counselling tool through the Lifestyle website which is an alternative way to access support from a counsellor. By an individual looking through all the resources on our Lifestyle website this can help them to get answers about an issue they may be having. Again by getting some clarity on their issue this may have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.

If you would like to learn more about ‘How Care first can support you’ then please join our webinar on Wednesday 22nd March at 12pm using the details below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3809501455960267606

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

If you wish to contact the Care first telephone counselling and information line then please don’t hesitate to call the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Happiness is an emotional state characterised by feelings of joy, satisfaction, contentment, and fulfilment. While happiness has many different definitions, it is often described as involving positive emotions and life satisfaction.

Scientific evidence suggests that being happy may have major benefits for your health. For starters, being happy promotes a healthy lifestyle. It may also help combat stress, boost your immune system, protect your heart and reduce pain. What’s more, it may even increase your life expectancy.

This article will highlight some steps you and take to help you feel happiness in your life as well as impacting others by offering tips to help them feel happy.

So many people feel they are living un happy lives, this could be impacted by a number of things accruing in their loves. Relationship breakdowns, bereavement, domestic abuse, childhood trauma or even work related issues.

We can all start by improving our wellbeing and happiness by focusing on 3 simple tasks…….

Keep calm

We must understand and recognise that many things are out of our control. By trying to control something that you cannot you only make it harder to deal with. You need to accept the situation, breathe and focus on the important things you can influence and control so you can respond in a constructive way.

Stay wise

Making wise choices can not only help you but they can also help others too. By taking positive actions to improve our wellbeing it will leave you feeling better and more motivated to also help others in times of need.

Be kind

We are all in this together and it is important that we all support each other as much as possible. Whether that is an act of kindness or getting in touch with someone and checking in to see how they are, it can go a long way to bring some positivity and support to their lives, you will also feel much better for it!

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘The pursuit of happiness’ this is being delivered live on Monday 20th March at 12 o’clock, please use the following link to register for this session https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9033364762435495768

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

If you feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services.

All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Focusing on sleeping well can bring many positive benefits to our overall wellbeing. Good quality sleep is critical to both our physical and mental health and the effective functioning of our immune system. It also aids our emotional wellness and can have positive impacts on stress, depression, and anxiety. This article is in line with World Sleep Day on Friday 17th March 2023.

You may have suffered from Insomnia before or had sleeping problems long-term, or perhaps you are experiencing difficulty with sleeping throughout the warm, summer months. The Sleep Foundation advises that the challenges which may cause an adverse effect to our sleep include:

• Disruption to our daily life and usual routines
• Anxiety and worry
• Depression and Isolation
• Family and Work stress
• Excess screen time
• Stress-related fatigue

Understanding sleep:

Sleep expert Dr Lindsay Browning explains that sleep is controlled by our circadian rhythm, which is our internal 24 hour clock. This helps us be alert during the day and sleepy at night. It is usually regulated by daily cues such as exposure to daylight, when we eat our meals, when we exercise and other things. When we stay indoors for a long period of time, we lose many of these cues. For example, if we do not go outside to get daylight, we risk making our circadian rhythm less robust. Also, if we are not as physically active during the day and eating our meals at different times, our circadian rhythm may not know the difference between day and night as clearly. In addition, when we experience depression, this can be associated with insomnia (not sleeping well) or hypersomnia (sleeping too much).

Establishing a routine:

It can be particularly difficult to maintain a routine during the summer months when the days get longer as there is a delay in melatonin release so our body clock is not receiving the signal that it is time to sleep until later in the evening. It is therefore really important to ensure that we establish a routine to give our bodies a sense of normality, which in turn can promote a consistent sleep schedule. Sleep-specific aspects of your daily schedule should include:

• Wake-Up Time: Set your alarm, avoid using the snooze button and have a fixed time to start each day.
• Wind-Down Time: This is an important time to relax and get ready for bed. It can involve things like light reading, stretching, and meditating along with preparations for bed like putting on pyjamas and brushing your teeth.
• Bedtime: Pick a consistent time to actually turn out the lights and try to fall asleep.

Follow these basic tips for getting a good night’s sleep throughout summer:

• Keep your room temperature low – Your bedroom should be kept for rest and sleep. It should be neither too  hot, nor too cold, and as quiet and dark as possible. During summer, keep windows open throughout the day and blinds closed to keep your bedroom cool. Using lightweight fabrics such as thin pyjamas and bed sheets to keep you cooler throughout the summer months.
• Reduce your exposure to light during the day – helps your body prepare for sleep, particularly in the evening.
• Darken your room before bed – promotes a more peaceful sleep but you should ensure there is a bit of light in the mornings to allow your body clock to wake you up naturally.
• Keep regular hours – Going to bed and getting up at roughly the same time, all the time, will programme your body to sleep better.
• Take more exercise (where possible) – Regular exercise outside during the summer months can help with both your mental and physical state. You can go for walks or perhaps complete a home workout in the garden to relieve the day’s stresses and strains. But not too close to bedtime or it may keep you awake!
• Cut down on stimulants and avoid smoking – such as caffeine in tea or coffee. in the evening. They interfere with falling asleep and prevent deep sleep. Smokers take longer to fall asleep and wake up more often.
• Don’t over-indulge – Too much food or alcohol, especially late at night just before bedtime, can play havoc with sleep patterns.
• Try to relax before going to bed – Listen to some quiet music or do some yoga to help relax your mind and body.
• Make jobs lists – Deal with worries or a heavy workload by making lists of things to be tackled the next day.
• Switch off devices at least an hour before bed – Many people are also affected by the blue light emitted from laptops, tablets and smartphones which can make it harder to get to sleep when used before bed.
• If you can’t sleep – don’t spend more than 20 minutes trying to get to sleep; get up and do something relaxing until you feel sleepy again – then go back to bed.

If you are experiencing problems sleeping and feel you may need some support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support. Call Care first on
the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Useful links for more tips and information:

www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/sleep-and-tiredness/how-to-get-to-sleep/
https://troublesleeping.co.uk/

More Information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Tips for a good night’s sleep’ in line with World Sleep Day this is being delivered live on Friday 17th March at 12pm, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6960747955081240334

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

Monday  March 20th, 2023  at 12pm – ‘Pursuit of Happiness – In association with International Day of Happiness’

This webinar highlights the importance of happiness and the impact it can have on your general wellbeing

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9033364762435495768

Wednesday March 22nd, 2023 at 12pm – ‘How Care First can support you’

A webinar for awareness and how to access the EAP service provided by Care first.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3809501455960267606

Friday March 24th, 2023 at 12pm – ‘Care First Management and MHFA Support’

This webinar provides an overview of the support available for managers and also the mental health first aiders of organisations through the EAP.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4073241310120812379

Counselling support

Our team of professionally trained, qualified and BACP Accredited Counsellors are available 24/7 to offer support for personal or workplace related issues. As well as the headline issues surrounding mental health, our Care first counsellors are also trained in dealing with both work and home grievances, bullying & harassment issues, domestic violence, relationships at both home and at work and much more. No matter how big or small the problem may be, our counsellors are here for you to provide you with unbiased support away from the situation. Everyone has very individual needs for support, Care first provides short term focussed counselling, so the Care first Counsellor will assess your circumstances when you call to establish what the most appropriate form of support will be for you. It might be that you just need a brief conversation with the Counsellor that day, or you may benefit from a few more sessions.

Information Specialists

As control, or the lack of it, can be an influencing factor on the impact of stress. Many individuals identify stress as emotional, however, a lack of control around practical issues can be just as impactful. We have expert advisors that have been trained by Citizens Advice who can provide you with comprehensive answers and assistance on a wide range of practical issues which can affect our daily life, these include but are not limited to; redundancy, advice on funerals and probate, legal information, housing and tenancy issues, childcare, eldercare, health, consumer issues, employment, travel and education. Our Information Specialists are also money trained experts and can provide support with a variety of financial queries such as help with budgeting finances and advice with benefits. You can speak with one of our Information Specialists confidentially Monday-Friday between 8am-8pm.

Management Support

If you are a manager, have leadership responsibilities, or look after a team within your organisation, it is as important as ever that your colleagues are made aware of the range of support available from Care first. As well as supporting you to signpost your colleagues to the Care first service effectively to maintain your managerial boundaries, Care first can also provide you with support within your role as a manager. Care first Counsellors are all management trained and can provide support with issues such as if the organisation is going through a period of redundancy, managing change and difficult conversations, workplace performance, remote working, absence management and disciplinary.

Care first Lifestyle

Through the Care first lifestyle site you can access a wide range of supportive information, read helpful articles published by our team, view Webinars covering a variety of well-being topics and even speak with a Care first Counsellor in real-time via our online counselling facility.

You can log into your account by visiting www.carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk and logging in using your organisation’s unique log in details. If you are unsure what these details are then please contact your line manager or HR department. The Care first Lifestyle website is great place to go to learn more about Care first and the different areas that we can support in.

How all of these above services link together

As you can see from the above table, all the services that we offer complement each other to ultimately encompass an individual’s overall mental and physical wellbeing, which enables individuals to access professional and clinically proven support.

Our counselling support is available 24/7 to help individuals with any emotional issues that they may have. Our Information Specialists can help individuals with practical information and advice. This practical support is so important because if an individual is concerned about a practical issue, then this can cause detrimental effects to their emotional wellbeing. By getting some support from an Information Specialist this will provide the individual with some clarity on that particular issue, which may help them to feel more in control of a situation and relieve some anxiety.

The Care first Lifestyle site can help individuals who are concerned about an issue. The individual may not know where to start and they can have a look at the resources on our Lifestyle website which may be enough to help them. The Lifestyle website is a great starting place to learn about the types of issues that Care first can support with. The individual can also access our online counselling tool through the Lifestyle website which is an alternative way to access support from a counsellor. By an individual looking through all the resources on our Lifestyle website this can help them to get answers about an issue they may be having. Again by getting some clarity on their issue this may have a positive effect on their mental wellbeing.

If you would like to learn more about ‘How Care first can support you’ then please join our webinar on Wednesday 15th March at 12pm using the details below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4434337421240922976

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above after the webinar has taken place.

If you wish to contact the Care first telephone counselling and information line then please don’t hesitate to call the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

On Wednesday 15^th March there will be another Menopause Café at our Medway campus.

The café will take place in Gillingham Building from 13:00-15:00, and there will be tea, coffee and biscuits available for all in attendance.

What to expect at a Menopause Café?

At a Menopause Café people, often strangers, gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss menopause.

Our Menopause Cafés are offered:

• In an accessible, respectful and confidential space
• Open for all, regardless of gender or age
• With no intention of leading people to any conclusion, product or course of action
• On a not for profit basis
• Alongside refreshing drinks and cake (or biscuits)!

We host these cafes in line with guidance provided by Menopause Cafe, an organisation with the aim of getting the whole word talking about the menopause. This is the third Menopause Café we’ve hosted this academic year following really positive feedback from all attendees at our previous cafes, so please do come along if you feel it could be beneficial to you. No need to sign up, just turn up on the day!

Counselling is often considered an effective tool to help support with stress, low mood, anxiety and depression. Counselling can also be used to support a variety of day-today issues, including; relationship problems, family issues, bereavement, work related issues, difficult life events and many more.

First of all it is worth thinking about what an employee assistance programme is and to how Care first can support employees.

What is an Employee Assistance Programme?

An employee assistance programme (EAP) was designed to help employees around any personal or work related issue in a confidential manner. The service was designed as a short term, problem solving type of service and is best utilised as a proactive service. Care first’s employee assistance programme will support employees regardless of the type of issue(s).

What is short-term solution focused counselling?

This type of therapy focuses on solutions to a client’s issues or problems. Short-term solution focused counselling is based over a short period of structured sessions. Although it can look at present issues and past causes, its main aim is to look at where the client is now and to where they would like to get to by having the counselling. It is about looking forward not back.

This type of counselling looks at the client’s strengths and positivity’s in order to help them move forward with their life rather than focussing on the issue or problem directly. By the counsellor helping the client to set clear goals for what they would like to get from the counselling really sets a clear structure for the sessions. This type of counselling also can look at the client’s strong points and skills rather than their weaknesses in order to help them reach their set objectives for the counselling. It is also important to remember that everyone’s needs are individual to them. So there is no strict A to B model.

What if my needs are not supported by the short-term solution focused counselling model?

No matter what the issue or problem may be it is still worth calling Care first for support. Even if you think that the issue you are calling in regards to does not fit the short-term solution focused model.

Care first may signpost you onto another organisation or charity who would be better placed to support with the issues presented if short-term solution focused counselling is not appropriate. If our service is not appropriate then it is really important that we help to direct you to the most appropriate place for you to get the support that you need.

However please be assured that you can still contact Care first for in the moment support as and when you require it 24/7.

How short-term solution focused counselling can have a beneficial impact on your mental wellbeing

• Help you to take control – Counselling can help by identifying the elements in your life to focus on that you can control. This can help you to move forward.
• Challenge your mind – By speaking with a Counsellor you may think about things from a different perspective and challenge your own mind to why you feel the way you do, how you might approach things differently, or what might be causing you to feel the way you do.
• Empowerment –  Talking therapies involve the individual and the Counsellor playing active roles. By you having to play an active part in the counselling may help you to feel empowered at a time when you may feel like you have lost control of your life or parts of your life.
• Different Emotions – Counselling can help you to cope and manage with a variety of different emotions from grief, guilt, anger, sadness, confusion and low self-esteem to name a few.

How can Care first help?

If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first. Care first is a leading provider of confidential, professional counselling, information and advice services. Whilst our BACP accredited counsellors are available 24/7 to provide support with emotional issues, our expertly trained information specialists are available 8am-8pm Monday-Friday to provide advice on any practical issues that may be causing you a stress or worry and help you feel more in control of a situation. All employees are eligible to use Care first, our services include; telephone counselling, information services and online support.

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘What is short-term solution focused counselling? This is being delivered live on Monday 13th March at 12pm please use the below link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7633196077955252318

If you are unable to join the webinar live, a recording of the session can be accessed using the same link above shortly after the webinar has taken place.