Kindness and Mental Health Support – Care First Webinar Friday 17th Feb 2023

Posted on February 17, 2023 by rfj

People who are kind and compassionate see clear benefits to their wellbeing and happiness. They may even live longer. Kindness can also help reduce stress and improve our emotional wellbeing. We all have so much going on in our lives – including competing strains and stresses. This can see kindness pushed to one side, in favour of what is urgent or trending now.

It can be easy to signal kindness by posting online and following a trend, but harder to commit to kindness in our daily words and actions.

Some of the simple ways to show kindness

1. Listen and show interest – By simply listening to someone and showing interest in the conversation, you can truly change someone’s life. At the very least, you will show them that what they have to say matters. Allow them to speak fully, without interrupting, and give cues that you’re listening.

2. Show Compassion – Likewise, showing compassion is a great act of kindness. You can do this by communicating how you understand and care for the recipient. Be vocal about your feelings toward the subject, giving an emotional response to what they are telling you. By doing so, you’re also validating their feelings which is an act of kindness greater than any.

3. Give genuine compliments – One of my favourite ways to spread kindness is by giving compliments. I can’t tell you how greatly my day improves when someone gives me a simple compliment. In fact, I tend to remember compliments that were given to my years ago. If you are truly interested in being kind to others, give a genuine compliment.

4. Offer help – Another easy way to be kind, is to offer your help. By handling a difficult task or giving advice on a serious subject, you’re easing the burden of another. By being a little creative with your thinking, you’ll discover all sorts of ways you can help one another.

5. Say thank you – A single “thank you” can go a very long way and unfortunately, many people don’t hear it often. You can return a kindness by just saying thank you. This is especially important when encountering people who are doing a service for you: nail techs, your waitress, soldiers, etc.

6. Consider others’ feelings when making decisions – I tell you this and I tell you it very lightly because it’s situational. To consider another’s feelings when making decisions is a very good deed. I am by no means recommending that you put the needs or desires of another before you own. However, it’s nice to be considered when decisions are made. For example, if you’re planning a family vacation – plan something specifically for the others who are attending.

7. Give a handmade gift – The most special gifts tend to be handmade ones. It’s the simple thought that someone took the time out of their day to make something just for you that’s so special. Consider making handmade gifts rather than buying something. This will make a world of a difference – especially around the holidays.

8. Just smile – This may sounds like a task that is so simple, it couldn’t possibly make a big difference. A smile shows you are kind and easily approachable. It’s a win-win for everyone.

9. Complete a task for someone – Much like offering your help to someone, you can simply complete a task without asking or being asked to do so. This can be something as simple as
cleaning up a mess someone else made or clearing the table for your waitress.

10. Offering patience – Patience doesn’t come easy, especially in our fast-paced society. By simply being patient with an individual, you can make them feel more comfortable. The times when people are kind to me, are the things that stick with me.

What are the benefits of showing kindness?

You may be wondering: What are the benefits of kindness and why should we be kind to others?

Psychologically, acts of kindness make us feel grateful, empathetic, and compassionate. These are positive feelings that give us a sense of belonging and community. Biologically, kindness releases chemicals like the “love hormone,” oxytocin, which helps us form social bonds based on trust.

Sadly, in today’s fast-paced world many of us are so busy trying to keep up that we lose sight of what’s truly important. As we’re looking down at our phones and browsing social media, we’re walking by the mom with her stroller struggling to open the door, or the wallet that fell out of the man’s pocket a few feet ahead. Opportunities to be kind are all around us – and the smallest acts of kindness are often what make the biggest difference.

Here are six science-backed benefits of practicing kindness:

  • Increases happiness
  • Boosts energy
  • Reduces anxiety and depression
  • Lowers blood pressure
  • Reduces pain
  • Promote longevity

More information

If you would like to hear more about this topic, please join our live Webinar on ‘kindness and Mental Health’ on Friday 17th February 2023 at 12pm. To register, please use the following link –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2507676389364606809

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.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

How Care First Can Support You – Care First Webinar Weds 15th February 2023 at 12pm

Posted on February 15, 2023 by rfj

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 February at 12pm using the details below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4087331550852059488

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.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Turkey-Syria Earthquake – Care First Statement

Posted on February 14, 2023 by rfj

We understand that many people may be concerned about the situation in Turkey and Syria following the recent and devastating earthquake, which has affected the lives of thousands.

We understand that many people may also be concerned for relatives’ welfare who are located in these regions affected by the destruction. For many young people in particular, this may be the first time they have been exposed to media images and reports of a natural disaster of this magnitude.

Care first wanted to reassure you of the support available from Care first in response to this event.

Please see the below steps that Care first have taken to make sure the appropriate support is in place for the organisations that we support and their people:

  • A reminder is encouraged for your employees that emotional support is available 24/7 from our accredited Counsellors.
  • Employees have access to our translation service should they wish to access support in their chosen language.
  • Care first are able to provide interpreters for contracted counselling where clinically appropriate and can facilitate fluent speaking counsellors in a chosen language.
  • Care first’s call volumes are constantly monitored and resources adjusted according to the amount of calls we receive.
  • The Care first Telephone Information Specialists are receiving the most up to date information available so they can help to support people with practical queries around the situation in Turkey and Syria. For example, if an employee wanted to know about how one of their family members in Turkey or Syria could go about travelling to the United Kingdom, or if an employee was due to Travel to the regions themselves, they may require information about travel advice, or how to seek compensation from their tour operator.
  • Care first will be delivering a webinar and article specifically aimed at supporting employees with ‘Coping with Natural Disasters’. This will be announced shortly, and will be included in our weekly comms calendar.
  • For any specific requirements to support your employees further, please contact your Care first Service Manager.
Posted in News | Leave a comment

Critical Incident Support – Care First Webinar Monday 13th Feb 2023

Posted on February 13, 2023 by rfj

At Care first, we offer Critical Incident Support as a part of our Employee Assistance Programme. Our Critical Incident support is in place to minimise the effects that a traumatic incident can have on staff.

What is a critical incident?

A critical incident may be defined as any sudden and unexpected incident or sequence of events which causes trauma within an organisation. Critical and traumatic incidents can have severe, complex and significant effects on people. These incidents can do the same to your organisation.

Timely, professional interventions in times of crisis will help to minimise the level of disruption an incident may have on your organisation and its performance.

Critical incidents can involve a great number of people, such as with rail crashes, or smaller groups affected by violence, abuse or a death in the workplace – all with far reaching impact. Extensive experience in managing critical incidents within both the public and private sectors, means that Care
first can provide an immediate and informed response to any situation. Our interventions will help your organisation to manage and contain the impact of trauma.

Care first Critical Incident Support

Care first is available to respond 24 hours a day, via our Telephone Counselling Centre. We also employ full time, professional counsellors throughout the UK to guarantee an immediate response to a critical incident.

The aim of critical incident support is to minimise the effects of a traumatic incident on your staff in order to:

  • enable people to resume effective operation both at work and at home as quickly as possible
  • monitor and support individuals who may need additional help to manage post-trauma symptoms
  • provide reassurance to all staff and their families that your organisation is concerned about their wellbeing

At Care first, we understand that each critical incident is unique and is therefore project managed accordingly in close consultation with the customer organisation. We work with them in the immediate aftermath of an incident and in providing ongoing support as required.

What to expect if you contact Care first regarding a Critical Incident.

The first thing to expect when you contact our service is that you will need to be able to disclose details about the incident. Our Clinical Team will arrange a scoping call with you to determine what support would be best for the organisation and workforce who need it. During this call, we will ask a
series of questions and run through the different ways in which we can provide support.

The support that we provide would be bespoke to each organisation, however we have provided a list of possible outcomes below:
1. We are able to provide critical incident support over the telephone.
2. We work together with BACP Accredited Counsellors all over the UK, this allows us to provide on-site support if an organisation requires it following on from a critical incident.
3. Our on-site support can involve a range of individual or group sessions. It is important to note, that a group session can only include up to 15 people.

Occasionally people get ‘stuck’ in the process of recovering from an incident or traumatic experience. If you are still troubled by after effects several months later, it is probably time to seek some outside help.

Twenty four hours a day, every day of the year you can call our freephone number and talk to a Care First professional counsellor. Discuss any of your concerns – work related or personal, in complete confidence. Feelings and thoughts may or may not relate directly to the incident you have experienced. For many people the opportunity to talk to a counsellor who is not a friend, family member or work colleague can be extremely helpful.

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Care first Critical Incident Support’ this is being delivered live on Monday 13th February at 12pm, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7175916887883392094

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.

*Disclaimer: This article is for general information only. We cannot be held responsible for any actions you might take as a result of it. Please seek medical advice before making any significant changes to your eating habits or lifestyle.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Children’s Mental Health Awareness – Care First Webinar Friday 10th Feb 2023 at 12pm

Posted on February 10, 2023 by rfj

Place2Be launched the first-ever Children’s Mental Health Week in 2015 to
shine a spotlight on the importance of children and young people’s mental
health. Now in its ninth year, they hope to encourage more people than
ever to get involved, spread the word, and raise vital funds for children’s
mental health.

Every year, Place2Be’s expert team develops resources to help people
participate in the week. From activity ideas and assembly guides to top tips
and videos, their free resources will help you explore mental health and
wellbeing with the children and young people around you.

This year’s theme is ‘Let’s Connect’

From 6-12 February 2023, schools, families and communities across the UK will take part in Children’s Mental Health Week. This year’s theme is Let’s Connect. Let’s Connect is about making meaningful connections for all, during Children’s Mental Health Week – and beyond. People thrive in communities, and this connection is vital for our wellbeing.

When we have healthy connections – to family, friends and others – this can support our mental health and our sense of wellbeing. And when our need for rewarding social connections is not met, we can sometimes feel isolated and lonely – which can have a negative impact on our mental health.

For Children’s Mental Health Week 2023, Place2Be are encouraging people to connect with others in healthy, rewarding and meaningful ways.

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.

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

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Children’s Mental Health’, it is being delivered live on Friday 10th February 2023 at 12:00pm-12:30pm, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/238053492087157084

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.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Care First Webinars Week Commencing 13th Feb 2023

Posted on February 10, 2023 by rfj

Monday  February 13th, 2023  at 12pm – ‘Care First – Critical Incident Support’

This webinar provides details of the support Care first can offer that maybe relevant following a traumatic incident in the work place

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7175916887883392094

Wednesday February 15th, 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/4087331550852059488

Friday February 17th, 2023 at 12pm – ‘Kindness and mental health – In association with Random acts of kindness day’

A conversation starter on children’s mental health and how parents and adults feel impacted by this. Offering tips and ideas on how you can support young people that may be suffering.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2507676389364606809

Posted in News | Leave a comment

How Care First Can Support You – Care First Webinar Weds 8th February 2023 at 12pm

Posted on February 8, 2023 by rfj

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 8th February at 12pm using the details below –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1752789089023001685

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.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Practical Information and Advice Through Care First – Care First Webinar Mon 6th Feb 2023 at 12pm

Posted on February 6, 2023 by rfj

Care first is often perceived as a support mechanism that only offers emotional support through counselling but this isn’t the only support type Care first is able to help with. Stress and anxiety can often be caused by ongoing practical issues in our everyday life. This might be around your work, childcare issues and legal issues and so on. The issues that we experience on a regular basis can often seem daunting and cause a lot of stress and anxiety if we don’t know how best to resolve them – this is where Care first is also able to support.

Not only do we offer emotional support through counselling, but we also offer practical advice on how to resolve these sorts of practical issues. Our team of Telephone Information Specialists are able to advise you the best steps and give you guidance on how best to resolve the issue you’re having.

Who are the Telephone Information Specialists?

Care first has a team of information specialists who answer inbound calls to Care first for people looking for practical advice. All of the Telephone Information Specialists are Citizen Advice trained and are able to advise on a huge range of topics. These include but are not limited to:

  • Benefits
  • Childcare information
  • Consumer advice
  • Debt
  • Divorce/separation
  • Education
  • Eldercare information
  • Employment
  • Health/medical
  • Housing
  • Law/Legal information
  • Retirement
  • Substance abuse
  • Tax queries

How will they help?

The Telephone Information Specialist’s will speak to you and ask questions to fully understand the situation you’re in. They will then guide you through the best next steps, explain what available resources will be helpful to you, they may also signpost you to appropriate websites or organisations that can also help. They will make a note of the issues and what has been discussed so if you call again a Telephone Information Specialist can pick up where you left off. This is especially useful if you need to go away and follow some steps and then call back for additional guidance.

How do I speak with a Telephone Information Specialist?

It’s really easy to speak with a Telephone Information Specialist, just call your organisations EAP Freephone telephone number, you will be given the option to hold and speak with a counsellor, or ‘press 1’ to speak with a Telephone information Specialist. Once you have pressed ‘1’ your call will be sent to the Telephone Information Specialists. They are available Monday to Friday 8am to 8pm so bear this in mind when calling.

Is it confidential?

Yes. The service is complete confidential. Despite this support being offered by your organisation Care first is separate entity and we don’t share any identifiable information with any third parties or even your organisation. You are able to call and speak with a counsellor or a Telephone Information Specialists without anyone ever knowing or finding out. There are only three very exceptional
circumstances in which we would be forced to break confidentiality, which is when there is threat to the life of another person, a child protection or vulnerable adult issues or a risk to the security of the organisation.

More information

If you would like to view the Webinar on ‘Practical information and advice through Care first’ is being delivered live on Monday 6th February, please use the following link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4273574526969569375

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.

Posted in News | Leave a comment

What To Expect When You Call Care First – Care First Webinar Friday 3rd February at 12pm

Posted on February 3, 2023 by rfj

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 Friday 3rd February at 12pm, please use the below link to register for this session –

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/4764938576530785623

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 –

Posted in News | Leave a comment

Care First Webinars Week Commencing 6th Feb 2023

Posted on February 3, 2023 by rfj

Monday  February 6th, 2023  at 12pm – Practical Information & Advice Through Care First

The webinar provides detail about our Information Specialists and their role as part of your EAP service

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6623501355256991840

Wednesday February 8th, 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/1752789089023001685

Friday February 10th, 2023 at 12pm – Children’s Mental Health

A conversation starter on children’s mental health and how parents and adults feel impacted by this. Offering tips and ideas on how you can support young people that may be suffering.

Please use the following link to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/238053492087157084

Posted in News | Leave a comment