RDM Mental Health Support

Woman sits with arms folded talking to a counselor

Mental Health First Aid (MHFA)

A number of RDM staff members have completed a two-day mental health first-aid training course, run by the Oxford based mental health charity Restore and accredited by Mental Health England.

The course teaches people to spot the signs of mental health issues and guide a person towards support. It does not teach people to be therapists, but does teach people how to respond in a crisis.

Our Mental Health First Aiders aim to have:

an in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect well-being
practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of a range of mental health issues
confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress using the Mental Health First Aid action plan
enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support - whether through self-help resources, internal support, or external sources such as their GP
an understanding of how to keep themselves safe while performing their duties.

Please feel free to get in touch with any of the mental health first aiders (contact details on the right-hand bar), and pass on this information to any RDM member who you think might benefit from having an informal chat with someone at a convenient location that suits them.

Mental Health Resources

The University provides health and counselling information for both staff and students, including the TogetherAll website (select “I’m from a University or College”) and the staff counselling services. These services are there for you: please don’t hesitate to use them.

The University Student Wellbeing and Mental Health Strategy adopts a holistic approach to mental health and wellbeing covering all aspects of students’ university experience from learning and life skills to community, inclusion, and support.

If you wish to explore more options, there are a number of websites below which you may useful (please note that these are external to RDM).

For additional online resources, and to find out how the University of Oxford Occupational Health service maybe able to help please contact Occupational Health.

Health Assured: employee assistance programme

Health Assured is an Employee Assistance Programme designed to help you deal with personal and professional problems that may affect your home or work life, health, and general wellbeing.

It is a complete support network that offers expert advice and guidance 24/7, including:

Counselling for emotional problems and a pathway to structured therapy sessions;
Legal information for issues that cause anxiety or distress;
Bereavement support, including access to experienced counsellors and legal advisors;
Medical information: Qualified nurses are on hand to offer support on a range of medical or health-related issues offering practical information and advice (not 24/7);
Online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT): a range of self-help modules, informative fact sheets and invaluable advice videos from leading qualified counsellors; and
A wellbeing app and portal offering Live Chat and a virtual library of wellbeing articles and guides.

Health Assured is part of the University’s staff wellbeing programme Thriving at Oxford.