• Question: In what way do you help poeple with mental health?

    Asked by tune490tar on 4 Jul 2023.
    • Photo: Kip Heath

      Kip Heath answered on 4 Jul 2023:

      So I provide a lot of what we call ‘pastoral’ support to scientists in my workplace. That mostly means providing a space for scientists to talk and be heard and make sure they seek professional mental health support if it’s needed.

    • Photo: Cheryl Williams

      Cheryl Williams answered on 4 Jul 2023:

      My job doesn’t directly help patients with mental health, but I do have to line manage my team, some of whom do have mental health issues. I make sure I am supportive , available and approachable, and know where to refer people to if they need more help than I can provide.

    • Photo: Bruno Silvester Lopes

      Bruno Silvester Lopes answered on 5 Jul 2023:

      I don’t work directly in the mental health sector but at university, I provide pastoral support to my students and help them to succeed.

    • Photo: Simon Anderson

      Simon Anderson answered on 5 Jul 2023:

      As we deal directly with patients we will always be looking after people with mental health problems, even if we don’t know it as it may not be information we need to know. As such we approach everyone with respect, diginity and care to try and sure that their experience is as straightforward as possible. This can be as simple as talking to them whilst undertaking a test about something there are passionate about, or the good old weather, to take their mind off what is happening.

      On a more specific level as we undertake ECGs this can involve monitoring of certain people with mental health conditions that are on particular medications to ensure that it is safe to continue on those medicines.

    • Photo: Sophie Shaw

      Sophie Shaw answered on 5 Jul 2023:

      I work with both patients and staff around mental health! My department has a team who focus on the genetic impact of mental health, and will test some patients for changes in their DNA which may lead to mental ill-health. Also within the workplace, I’m part of a wellbeing support team and I’m a trained Wellbeing Champion, offering support to all of our members of staff about their mental health.

    • Photo: Hannah Scholes

      Hannah Scholes answered on 5 Jul 2023:

      I don’t work specifically in mental health, but all of us in the lab look out for each other and make sure we’re all ok, especially if it’s been a tough day. My manager is also really good at coming around and saying hi to everyone each morning, and then making sure we’re all ok before they go home. There are a couple of people in the lab who have been trained as “mental health first aiders”, including all of the managers, so everyone knows that they can go and talk to them if they need to.

    • Photo: Clare Morrow

      Clare Morrow answered on 5 Jul 2023:

      I am a work based mental health first aider and so have done training to help support those with mental health – both staff and students

    • Photo: Chigozie Onuba

      Chigozie Onuba answered on 9 Jul 2023:

      We have counselling and staff support services. Any staff can contact or email them and everything is confidential.

    • Photo: Charlotte Ritson

      Charlotte Ritson answered on 10 Jul 2023:

      I don’t work specifically in mental health, but some of my colleagues are working on testing new medications for mental health conditions, which is a really important job.

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