A Lichfield counsellor says she hopes a new project will help bridge a gap in mental health support across Staffordshire.
Sheila McMahon has been working with Keele University over the past year and a half to develop a package of pre-recorded mental health awareness training.
It is hoped that the initiative will help fill a gap in support while those in need are caught up in long waiting lists to see a specialist.
Sheila said:
“We often find that people don’t seek help with their mental health until they are in crisis.
“My pre-recorded training is designed as an intervention between a person in crisis and the waiting list to see a counsellor.
“I hope sharing my counselling skills, intervention tools, coping mechanisms and insight into mental health, will enable people to have the confidence to manage their own well-being, and support someone who is struggling by using positive interventions to keep someone alive and safe while waiting to access counselling services.”
Sheila McMahon
The project has been developed through support from Keele University’s Business Bridge programme, which has been part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund.
More details about the new pre-recorded mental health awareness training are available online.
