Mental Health resources, training, and support - World Mental Health Day

Today is World Mental Health Day, recognised by The World Health Organisation on 10 October every year. ​​​​​​​

The theme of 2022's World Mental Health Day, set by the World Federation for Mental Health, is 'Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority'.

Helen Helliwell, Director Armed Forces People Policy and Defence Mental Health Champion said:​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

“On World Mental Health Day, please take some time to reflect on your own mental fitness and that of people around you. Think about what you can bring to your every day to ensure you remain mentally fit – be that time for the outdoors, green spaces or water, a book or healthy eating.

“If you are a manager of people, consider the environment and culture in which you all operate and lead with compassion and kindness. With resilient mental health, all of us are more able to give of our best and deliver the Defence mission.”

A range of resources, training, and support is available to everyone across Defence to help develop and maintain good mental health. These include:

Annual Mental Fitness Brief

The Annual Mental Fitness Brief is now mandatory for all staff to complete. The brief covers the most important aspects of developing and maintaining good mental fitness, including stress management, how to transform stress into mental resilience and where they can seek appropriate help.

Senior Leaders Mental Fitness & Resilience - Face to Face

The Senior Leaders Mental Fitness & Resilience (SLMFR) course is designed for Defence Senior Leaders tasked with creating a positive environment in which a mentally fit, resilient and productive workforce can thrive. The Workshop aims to promote greater understanding of the importance of mental fitness and resilience for leaders themselves, and of role-modelling and embedding conducive conditions in their organisations.

This course is highly recommended for all Senior Leaders (Grade 7 and above)

Headspace

Strategic Command have made available an additional 5500 Headspace licences to support your mental health. Headspace offer inspiration, guidance, and support to living a mindful life in the pursuit of improving the health and happiness of the world.

Kooth: Online digital health service for service children

Kooth is a mental health support line for children of service personnel or MOD civilians serving overseas. The service aims to promote and support emotional wellbeing and mental health issues, to improve well-being, prevent symptom escalation and when needed provide an access route to the right care including clinical support and a pathway to other types of support at the right time.

Kooth is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week via any internet enabled device. No GP referral is required to join. Kooth is free to use and provides an anonymous, secure, accessible space, where all content is pre-moderated to ensure the protection of all service users. It is available for those aged 11 to 18 (up to their 19th birthday) with a serving parent in the British Army, Royal Navy, and Royal Air Force (RAF), as well as those living overseas with parents working for the MOD or OGDs.

Wellbeing at Work Hub

The Charity for Civil Servants, in partnership with Civil Service HR, has refreshed and updated content on the Smarter Working for your Wellbeing Hub under its new name ‘Wellbeing at Work Hub’; one digital place to find resources to help with the ways we’re all working now.

​​​​​​​The Charity for Civil Servants supports all current, former and retired civil servants throughout their lives, listening without judgement and offering practical, financial and emotional support.