On 8th February 2020, I led a full day’s worth of training sessions introducing mental health and supporting those who struggle with it better. My sessions included:

• An introduction to mental health and our role in supporting those that struggle with it.
• An introduction to stress and trauma, it’s impact on us holistically, and what we can do to begin to have better well-being in the midst of it.
• An introduction to how our bodies respond to stress/trauma, how we can become hyper-sensitive to these response systems, and how we can support individuals in regulating themselves in these states.
• An overview of anxiety, panic attacks, depression, self-harm, eating disorders, psychosis, and suicide – and how to support individuals struggling in that way.
• Thinking through how to make our churches safe spaces for those that are struggling and introduced the tool of Character Strengths to aid in our support of individuals.

Around 10 people attended the event held at Christ Church Highbury, London. I asked for those there to fill out a feedback form on the training I provided, and 9 of the 10 did so. In four different areas they ranked me from 1 (awful) to 6 (excellent). Here are the average scores from their reviews:

• Session Content – 5.89
• Session Delivery – 5.89
• Interaction Level – 5.33
• Use of Media – 5.11

Here are a few quotes from some of the participants:

“Really great day that built on some of my existing knowledge.”

“I appreciate the fact that you did not come from a clinical or psychiatric background, I found this refreshing and more accessible. Thank you.”

“Very informative! Even though I’ve learnt a lot of this before, I felt like I learnt more information and more detailed information.”

“I felt reassured that we are on the right track in how we are supporting vulnerable homeless adults, but equally learned new aspects and insights to improve on what we do.”