Mental health training for staff

Mental Health Awareness Course

To raise awareness of mental health and mental health issues and illnesses, a Mental Health Awareness online course is available to all staff.

This course will support your approach to mental health by:

• Providing an overview of mental ill health and the signs to look out for.
• Providing tools to improve wellbeing.
• Encouraging you to talk about mental health.
• Explaining how you can offer support to your colleagues.
• Signposting you to University of Edinburgh mental health and wellbeing support and UK mental health services. 

How to access the Mental Health Awareness course:

This online course is hosted on the University Learn platform. Instructions how to enrol here:

• Self-Enrol by logging into Learn and log in with EASE at www.learn.ed.ac.uk
• Click on the “Self-Enrol” tab at the top right of your screen.
• Click the Browse Course Catalogue button and a search window will appear.
• Enter the name of the course "Mental Health Awareness"  in the search box and click Go
• Hover your mouse pointer to the right of the Course ID, click the arrow and select Enrol.
• You will then be taken to a new page.  To complete your enrolment on this course select Submit.
• You will then see a confirmation message to say your enrolment was successful.
• Click OK and you will be taken to the course.

The course will now appear in your My Courses under the 'My Learn' tab every time you login to Learn.

Training can be carried out on these modules at your own pace. If you don’t want to complete the course in one session, click on 'Bookmark' before exiting and the module will automatically take you back to where you left off when you next log in.

Log into Learn

If you experience any problems with the e-learning training modules, please email equalitydiversity@ed.ac.uk

Other training and resources

University hosted

Reasonable Adjustment Training  

This module will help you to understand disability, and identify how reasonable adjustments can be made in the workplace for staff with disabilities.   

Reasonable Adjustment Training

Stress information for managers  

Guidance and advice to help managers to support their staff experiencing stress.  

Stress information for managers

Guidance on Respect (Bullying and Harassment)  

Guidance and resources to understand and help eliminate bullying and harassment.  

Guidance on Respect

External providers

The Art of Conversation

NHS Scotland has created a guide to talking, listening, and reducing stigma surrounding suicide.  

The Art of Conversation (PDF on Health Scotland site)

How to support mental health at work  

Mental Health Foundation’s publication on how to support mental health at work for those with existing issues, for those at risk, and for the workforce as a whole.  See Sections on Supporting a Colleague and Supporting a person with ongoing mental health problems. 

How to support mental health at work - mentalhealth.org site

NHS Education for Scotland has created a suicide prevention campaign

These videos explore mental health and suicide, and give tips about how to have compassionate conversations with people who may be experiencing mental distress or feeling suicidal.   

Ask, Tell – Look After Your Mental Health on Vimeo

Ask, Tell – Have a Healthy Conversation on Vimeo

Ask, Tell – Save a Life: Every Life Matters on Vimeo

Health in Mind  

Health in Mind aims to support people who experience mental health difficulties and their carers. Their website can signpost you to many types of services, activities and support.   

Health in Mind – Services

Guidance for Managers

Mind and CIPD have produced guidance to support managers understand signs and symptoms of mental health and how to support others. 

People Manager's Guide to Mental Health

Self-care in Leadership

Know You More, our coaching partner, has created a Leader's Guide to align personal and team resilience by creating space for reflection and self-care. This resource can be used as a general performance enhancer, remedy or response to stressors, to enable transition of a team through change or uncertainty, build capability of the team, or as a core culture builder. Understand your own reactions at this time of crisis and identify your personal strengths and resources to support you stay resilient and adapt.

Leader's Guide

Support for Staff and Students Experiencing Gender-based Violence and Abuse

Advance HE in partnership with the charity #EmilyTest, CDN and Universities Scotland have produced guidance and support for staff and students who might be experiencing gender-based violence and abuse while social distancing measures are in place due to Covid-19.

Supporting Staff & Students Experiencing Gender-based Violence (GBV) during COVID-19