Free mental health courses
Thu, Mar 11th 2021 at 5:49 pm - 7:49 pm
courses run by Birstall Luddites Rotarian John Keen.
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During Lockdown, Luddites' Past President and founder member John Keen, and his partner Hazel Eastwood-Powel an honorary member of Birstall Luddites, have been running free mental health courses for anyone wishing to apply.
John, a retired Cognitive Behaviour Therapist and an experienced mental health practitioner teamed up with Hazel  a lecturer who runs her own company and, since November, they have been working together to provide training courses two evenings a week, on the very important topic of mental health.
Using modern day treatments, including Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT), the course provides help, support and advice on ways to overcome the following: Anxiety and panic attacks Depression
Negative thoughts
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Times have been particularly hard for many during the Covid-19 lockdown and not being able to
go outside and see loved ones, friends and colleagues has affected the mental health of thousands of individuals. Often, individuals and even professionals do not know what to do, or what to say to their friends and family members who are suffering.
John said that "these courses were advertised extensively throughout Rotary District 1040 and on social media and very soon after we experienced a huge uptake in interest." The courses which were held online, were taken up by a variety of individuals, from those who were just desperate for help.
 to parents and young adults as well as professionals.
This wide range of professionals included :- Teachers and lecturers Trained nurses both general and psychiatry Carers /Administrators Human resource consultants Counsellors College training mentors for students
As a special request, a number of ladies who were community workers at a local mosque formed a group and just recently through word of mouth, John and Hazel have been asked to set up a short bespoke course for a mountain rescue team who have also asked for additional advice covering suicides and dementia. Interest has been mainly local but has also come from as far away as Perth Australia.
Several candidates who enjoyed the course have made recommendations to others to sign up. Overall the feedback has been positive and all participants found the extra knowledge and skills obtained on the course extremely beneficial. Those who required certification for their continual professional development (CPD) were provided with course content and
certification by Hazel. There have been many emotional moments along the way and several candidates wished someone had told them this years ago as this would have changed their lives considerably and much sooner. Now with the vaccine being rolled out and the plan to come out of lockdown there's light at the end of the tunnel and interest in the course has started to reduce. Existing courses are coming to an end and with the promise of us being able to meet with others outdoors and have some social contact we will doubtless see a reduction in mental health issues for many. John said "to run these courses and to meet up with so many individuals over the internet during these dark lonely evenings has been a privilege for Hazel and me. This has personally given me a purpose and interest and we have enjoyed every minute. Hazel has done most of the hard work regarding organisation and administration, but for both of us we can honestly say its been a delight to be able to put service before self." BACKGROUND FACTS AND FIGURES John put together and extensive six hour course with lengthy presentation notes to send by email to all candidates. This presentation course was psychological education and guidance through Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) techniques. This is very much what you would get if you or anyone managed to access to NHS system, however the current waiting list for NHS treatment especially CBT is extremely long with some patients waiting many months for treatment. The course concludes mid-April, by which time they will have done 32 sessions lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. (8 completed courses consisting of 4 sessions each). Approximately 60 people have completed full mental health courses and a further 50 attended the short 2 hour course. |
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