Health and Wellbeing News

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is how we value and perceive ourselves. It’s based on our opinions and beliefs about ourselves, which can sometimes feel really difficult to change.

The pandemic and lockdown has left many with low self-confidence, poor self-esteem and struggling to find the self-motivation for work and other areas of their life. It has become a wellbeing issue for many people during the pandemic which is something for us to consider personally, and also for the organisations we work for to recognise, as many are looking for ways to build the confidence and resilience of their staff, not just during the pandemic, but for when we emerge from it too.

The loss of confidence and low self-esteem would seem to be a major concern for many who perhaps are living alone, or, have lost touch with friends and family, or even having been furloughed.

From last March to the present day, many individuals may have felt ill-prepared to manage the rapid changes at the beginning of the pandemic to the frequent changes to our lifestyle, income, family time, work and health often made at short notice that we may experience now.

In order to feel prepared and in control we need to know and understand what is happening to us.

We often haven’t known what would be happening next and many (if not all) of us will have experienced some sort of change to our Mental Health and Wellbeing throughout the pandemic.

Many individuals may be finding it challenging to cope with this current lockdown as previously for a wide range of issues, some of which may include –

Feeling angry and frustrated by the decision making of others
The rules, and restrictions
The behaviour of others

Even the weather (the winter lockdown is more difficult because of the darker evenings, the temperature, the rain etc.)

We hear that people have spoken about having lost confidence and that they almost “can’t be bothered with anything”. A wide range of Mental Health issues have been presented during the pandemic, not only for those already living with a diagnosis, but also for many across the age ranges who are now experiencing things such as; depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, low mood, lack of confidence, lack of self-worth and low self-esteem.

Your self-esteem can affect whether you:

• Like and value yourself as a person
• Are able to make decisions and assert yourself
• Recognise your strengths and positives
• Feel able to try new or difficult things
• Show kindness towards yourself
• Take the time you need for yourself
• Believe you matter and are good enough

So how can we boost self-esteem?

The organisation ‘Mind’ have come up with some helpful tips which include –

• Be kind to yourself
• Look after yourself
• Try to notice the good things around you
• Build a support network
• Consider “talking therapies”

It is often difficult to think about any of the above when we feel there is little point in anything, yet at some level; there is always a point and by learning to do some of the things above, we can not only re build self-esteem, but confidence and a belief that we can get through this.

Useful sources & Information:

Some of the information sourced for this article was originally published by ‘Mind’. If you would like to access this and further information in more detail please follow the link below –

https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/selfesteem/about-self-esteem/

If you are struggling then remember that Care first is there to support you 24/7. 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.

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Tips to boost your self-esteem in Lockdown’ this is being delivered live on Wednesday 10th February at 12pm, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8254155148601601804

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.

The coronavirus outbreak is dramatically changing our lives, including our relationships with other people in our communities, our families, our homes and our workplaces. Many of us have lost some or all of our normal ways of seeing others, as we try to keep each other safe. Some of us have also found ourselves spending far more time than we’re used to with those who share our homes, whether family, housemates or both – not to mention pets.

Both losing normal contact with people and being thrown into much closer contact than usual can feel stressful and it may be worrying, frightening or even unbearable.

Five quick tips for nurturing healthy relationships:

Many tips about how to maintain good relationships are as relevant and important now as they were before coronavirus. For instance, all five of the Mental Health Foundation’s top tips for nurturing healthy relationships are as important now as before:

1. Give time – put more time aside to connect with your friends and family.
2. Be present – this means really paying attention to the other people in your life and trying not to be distracted by your phone, or your work, or other interests.
3. Listen – really listen to what others are saying and try to understand it and to focus on their needs in that moment.
4. Let yourself be listened to – honestly share how you are feeling, and allow yourself to be heard and supported by others.
5. Recognise unhealthy relationships – harmful relationships can make us unhappy.

Recognising this can help us to move forward and find solutions.

During this strange and difficult time, it is also worth considering additional ways to protect our relationships, and try to cope a bit better with some of the relationship problems living through a pandemic can create. We will explore some of these and discuss this topic in more detail during the ‘Nurturing Relationships in Lockdown’ webinar on Tuesday 9th February 2021 at 12pm.

You can register to join the webinar at: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4400449356616203792

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 also 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.

As the COVID-19 situation is progressing and the Government guidance continues to change, individuals may be feeling anxious. Mental Health support during times like these are paramount, which is why Care first have worked tirelessly to ensure our services remain available 24/7 throughout the pandemic to provide emotional and practical support and ensure we have every aspect of your overall wellbeing covered. Where clinically appropriate Care first are continuing to offer structured counselling through phone and virtual software. At Care first the health and safety of both you the employee and our counselling team are absolutely paramount, any changes to our structured counselling process will be made in line with government guidance.

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 focused 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 disciplinaries.

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.

Care first Zest

With clinically proven intrinsic links between our physical and mental health, Care first Zest provides an interactive health and wellbeing management tool that can help individuals manage and improve all aspects of their mental and physical health. Care first Zest is also an effective means of pro-actively supporting the wellbeing of your team. You can complete the Care first Zest wellbeing assessment which looks at factors including exercise, healthy eating, sleep, smoking, caffeine intake and the amount of water you drink to name a few. The assessment then gives you a score on the different areas and you can see which areas you need to improve on. The idea is that if you can improve the areas you did not score well on then this will have a positive effect on your physical and mental wellbeing.

To find out more about Care first Zest please view the webinar which can be found via the link below:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2558790467075481100

Care first Woebot

For some people, picking up the telephone to talk with a counsellor is a terrifying experience. Sometimes, when we most need it, we find it the most difficult time to talk with another human. Finding support earlier rather than later is often the best way to manage issues of low mood. Woebot is an AI tool which provides a truly unique way to help identify issues and learn new strategies to cope and reduce the possibilities of those issues escalating into something bigger, without the need to pick up the phone. Woebot works by programmatically learning how to deliver the most impactful content at the most impactful time to optimise positive clinical outcomes for its user.

To find out more about Care first Woebot please view the webinar which can be found via the link below:

https://youtu.be/3oFyFclUEWU

Care First Service – How it supports?

BACP Counselling – Mental Wellbeing

Information Specialists – Practical issues

Management Support – Support for managers within their working role

Care first Lifestyle – Hub of resources and information

Care first Zest – Physical and Emotional Wellbeing

Care first Woebot – Low mood and Anxiety

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.

The Care first Zest platform is great for improving physical as well as emotional wellbeing. So if an individual takes the wellbeing assessment and then works on the areas that may need some focus. This can then improve their overall wellbeing. Many studies show a link between physical and mental wellbeing, so giving individuals access to this platform enables them to make positive changes.

The Care first AI tool Woebot is a great way for individuals to get support around low mood and anxiety. If Woebot does not detect a positive clinical outcome then Woebot will suggest that the individual speaks to a Care first counsellor if they would like to. Not every individual will feel confident enough to pick up the phone and speak to a counsellor so it is an alternative option for individuals to access support.

If you would like to learn more about ‘How Care first can support you’ then please join our webinar on Monday 25th January at 12pm using the details below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3848905736824143117

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.

Monday Feb 8th 2021 12pm-12.30pm
‘How Care first can support you’
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/3848905736824143117

Tuesday Feb 9th 2021 12pm-12.30pm
‘Nurturing Relationships in lockdown’
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4400449356616203792

Wednesday Feb 10th 2021 12pm-12.30pm
‘Tips to boost your self-esteem in Lockdown’
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8254155148601601804

Thursday 11th Feb 2021 12pm-12.30pm
‘Long COVID – What do we know so far?’
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4953834658372308748

Friday 12th Feb 2021 at 12pm-12.30pm
‘Reaching out for support in abusive relationships at Home’
https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1814376017839274507

If you are caring for someone with COVID-19 at home or in a non-healthcare setting, you may find the below advice helpful to protect yourself and others. Learn what to do when someone has symptoms of COVID-19 or when someone has been diagnosed with the virus.

This information also can be followed when caring for people who have tested positive but are not showing symptoms.

Provide support

Help cover basic needs:

• Help the person who is sick follow their doctor’s instructions for care and medicine.
• Make sure the person who is sick drinks a lot of fluids and rests.
• If you have not been in direct contact with the person who is sick or their caregiver; help them with food shopping, filling prescriptions, and getting other items they may need by leaving them on their door step, or consider having the items delivered through a delivery service, if possible to ensure you do not come in contact with the virus.
• Take care of their pet(s), and limit contact between the person who is sick and their pet(s) when possible.

Protect yourself

Limit contact

If possible, keep a separate bedroom and bathroom for a person who is unwell.
COVID-19 spreads between people who are in close contact (within about 6 feet) through respiratory droplets, created when someone talks, coughs or sneezes. Staying away from others helps stop the spread of COVID-19.

The caregiver, when possible, should not be someone who is at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19.

The person who is sick should isolate

The sick person should separate themselves from others in the home. Learn when and how to isolate.

• If possible, have the person who is unwell use a separate bedroom and bathroom.
• If this is not possible, ensure surface areas are cleaned regularly after use with anti-bacterial products. Always ensure to wear protective gloves and a face mask when doing so.
• If possible, have the person who is unwell stay in their own “sick room” or area and away from others.
• Try to stay at least 6 feet away from the unwell person.
• Shared space: If you have to share space, make sure the room has good air flow.
  – Open the window to increase air circulation.
  – Improving ventilation helps remove respiratory droplets from the air.
• Avoid having any unnecessary visitors, especially visits by people who are at higher risk for severe illness.

Caregivers should quarantine

• Caregivers and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has COVID-19 should stay home.
• Eat in separate rooms or areas
• Stay separated: The person who is sick should eat (or be fed) in their room, if possible.
• Wash dishes and utensils using gloves and hot water: Handle any dishes, cups/glasses, or silverware used by the person who is sick with gloves. Wash them with soap and hot water or in a dishwasher.
• Clean hands after taking off gloves or handling used items.

Avoid sharing personal items

Do not share: Do not share dishes, cups/glasses, silverware, towels, bedding, or electronics (like a tablet & mobile phone) with the person who is unwell.

When to wear a mask or gloves

The person who is unwell

• The person who is unwell should wear a mask when they are around other people at home and out (including before they enter a doctor’s surgery).
• The mask helps prevent a person who is unwell from spreading the virus to others. It keeps respiratory droplets contained and from reaching other people.

Caregiver

• Put on a mask and ask the unwell person to put on a mask before entering the room.
• Wear gloves when you touch or have contact with the sick person’s body fluids, such as saliva, mucus, vomit, and urine. Dispose of gloves into a bin liner and wash your hands right away.
• Practice everyday preventive actions to keep from getting sick: wash your hands often; avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth; and frequently clean and disinfect surfaces.

Track your own health

Caregivers should stay home and monitor their health for COVID-19 symptoms while caring for the person who is unwell.

• Symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath but other symptoms may be present as well. Trouble breathing is a more serious warning sign that you need medical attention.
• Caregivers should continue to stay home after care is complete. Caregivers can leave their home 14 days after their last close contact with the person who is sick (based on the time it takes to develop illness), or 14 days after the person who is sick meets the criteria to end home isolation.
• The best way to protect yourself and others is to stay home for 14 days if you think you’ve been exposed to someone who has COVID-19.

If you are having trouble breathing Call your doctor or NHS direct and tell them your symptoms before going in. They will tell you what to do.

Useful sources & Information:

Some of the information sourced for this article was originally published by the CDC (Centres for Disease Control and Prevention).

If you would like to access this and further information in more detail please follow the links below –

https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/care-for-someone.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/people-at-higher-risk.html
https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing/when-how-handwashing.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/if-you-are-sick/end-home-isolation.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/diy-cloth-face-coverings.html

How can Care first help?

If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first on the Freephone number. 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. 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 learn more about ‘What you should do if you live with someone with coronavirus’ then please join our webinar on Friday 5th February at 12pm using the following details –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/380465520545919499

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.

According to Mind (www.mind.org.uk) one in four people will experience a mental health problem of some kind each year in England. ‘Time to talk day’ is about encouraging everyone to talk more about mental health and removing any ‘stigma’ that some people may feel around talking about their own mental health. A conversation about mental health could potentially make a big difference. This article looks at the benefits of counselling and how speaking with a Care first Counsellor could have a beneficial impact on your mental wellbeing.

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-to-day issues including; relationship problems, family issues, bereavement, work related issues, difficult life events and many more. Care first employ BACP accredited Counsellors who are all Management trained and qualified with the minimum of a Diploma. Everyone has very individual needs
for support, Care first provides short term focused 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 it could be that you may benefit from a few more sessions.

How counselling can have a beneficial impact on your mental wellbeing

See your thoughts from a different point of view – Speaking to someone else, especially a Counsellor who is impartial and independent away from the situation
can help to give you a different view point and may help you to think about things in a different way.

Feel less alone in your problems – Sharing any issues you may have with a Counsellor may help you to feel better because you have discussed it  with someone else. A Counsellor can often be a good person to share your problems or worries with as they are impartial and non-judgmental. It may also help by getting “everything off your chest” and talking about your feelings can help you to feel less burdened by them.

Increased level of self-awareness – Speaking with a Counsellor can help you to see yourself and your situation from the outside looking in. This can be very beneficial at making you more content with yourself and may benefit your overall self-esteem.

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.

Talking is good for you – Talking about issues may help you to start dealing with them. By not talking about issues, we tend to go over and over them in our mind which is not good for our mental wellbeing and can also affect other aspects of our overall wellbeing such as our sleep patterns for example.

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.

Can empower you – 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 on the Freephone number.

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. 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 ‘The Benefits of Counselling (‘In line with Time to Talk Day’) this is being delivered live on Thursday 4th February at 12pm please use the below link to register for this session – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/5626735774414971408

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.

To support Time to Talk day on the 4^th February the following sessions are being offered for all managers team leaders and supervisors.

February 4th (13.00-16.00) and February  12th (10.00-16.00)

The aim of the workshop is to enable and encourage managers to develop a management style that strikes the right balance between the needs of the individual/team and the needs of the business.

Content will include:

• Signs that might indicate that a staff member is struggling
• Impact of the Covid-19 pandemic – issues to be aware of
• 2 golden rules for managing stress and mental health at work
• Practical problems for managers
• Good practice framework for managing mental health at work
• Clarifying the role of the organisation, individual staff and the manager
• Guidelines for managing sensitive conversations about stress and mental health
• Practical support – ‘reasonable adjustments’ during and after the Covid-19 pandemic
• Sources of support for staff and managers

To arrange to attend a session please book via staff connect

Place2Be launched the first ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to
highlight the importance of children and young people’s mental health. This
is now its 7th year and children and young people are being encouraged to
speak out about their mental health.

From 1-7 February 2021 schools, youth groups, organisations and individuals
across the UK will take part in Children’s Mental Health Week. This year’s
theme is ‘Express Yourself’.

Expressing yourself is about finding ways to share feelings, thoughts, or ideas in whatever way appeals to the young person.

It is important to remember that being able to express yourself is about finding ways to show who the young people are in their own right, how they view what is around them and what best helps to make them feel both positive and good about themselves.

Research tells us that as many as three children in every primary school class has a mental health problem. This is an issue which is growing and remember, these are only the reported number of diagnosed cases as not every child has a diagnosis and many struggle in silence for fear of being seen “differently” to their peers. At a young age, difference matters and so many struggle to conform to what they think is the norm, or the way
they should be. If there is a problem within the home, or the young person is subjected to bullying, it is likely they will keep quiet and not reach out for support.

Of concern is that around 70% of children and young people who experience a mental health problem have not had appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age. And this could be to do with being afraid to speak out, to express or understand their feelings and also not to appear “different” to those around them.

Children’s mental health like adults should be given the same importance as their physical health.

In schools, children and young people are taught about a healthy lifestyle that includes; good nutrition, exercise, social contact etc. all vital to our physical wellbeing. It is equally as important for them to be taught also about “difference”, about speaking out, expressing their feelings and of course being kind – not just to others, but to themselves. Thankfully, this is now being recognised more widely within schools. There is however, stigma around mental health which is why weeks like this encourage youngsters to speak out, to be
heard and to talk about their feelings.

Things that can help children and young people’s mental wellbeing include:
 Being in good physical health, eating a balanced diet and getting regular exercise
 Having time and the freedom to play, indoors and outdoors
 Being part of a family that gets along well most of the time
 Going to a school that looks after the wellbeing of all its pupils
 Taking part in local activities for young people.

Other factors are also important, including:
 Feeling loved, trusted, understood, valued and safe
 Being interested in life and having opportunities to enjoy themselves
 Being hopeful and optimistic
 Being able to learn and having opportunities to succeed
 Accepting who they are and recognising what they are good at
 Having a sense of belonging in their family, school and community
 Feeling they have some control over their own life
There is help available to our children and young people and this includes:
 Help and support from professionals
 Schools
 Parents
 GP advice
 Being able to talk through their thoughts and feelings in a safe and confidential setting
 Child focused organisations
 Clubs and groups

Given the increase in mental health issues in children, we as adults need to be able to help them express themselves without fear of judgement or criticism. Join in the awareness week and help to give children and young people a voice.

How can Care first help?

If you feel you may need some emotional or practical support, you can contact Care first on the Freephone number. 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. Call Care first on the Freephone number provided by your organisation and you can speak to a professional in confidence.

Organisations and supportive information that can help:
https://www.childline.org.uk/
https://www.place2be.org.uk/
https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/about-the-week
https://youngminds.org.uk/
https://www.headstogether.org.uk/partners/charity-partners/
https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do/our-work/well-being

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Children’s Mental Health Awareness’ this is being delivered live on Wednesday 3rd February at 12pm, please use the below link to register for this session – https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7322383915115149069

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.

The University has a new webpage ‘One Stop Shop’ resource to signpost staff to the various mental health and wellbeing resources available. This can be accessed via this link: Mental Health Support – Home (sharepoint.com)This includes information on:

• Support When Struggling: The Employee Assistance Programme; Occupational Health and Wellbeing; HR; Harassment Contacts
• Support by Development and Resource: Staff Health and Wellbeing website; Reflect, Plan, Develop reviews; COPE framework; Talent and Organisational Development
• The Basis of Support: University Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, Standards and Risk Assessments: University Wellbeing Strategy Statement; Psychological Wellbeing Standard; University’s Stress Risk Assessments
• Community Support and Activities: Network groups, including the Disability Staff Network; University Clubs and Societies

The website is being launched on 04 February which is Time to Talk Day. This is a mental health campaign day organised by the Time to Change movement.

The theme this year is ‘The Power of Small’, highlighting how even small interactions with people you know can help them feel better and encourage them to share if they are trying to cope with low emotional mood.