Law Firm Shows Commitment To Inclusion During Mental Health Awareness Week

To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (14-20 May), national law firm Irwin Mitchell has announced that over 80 employees will receive mental health first aid training next month.

Mental Health First Aid England will be providing a day long course to 80 volunteers from within the firm, in June, who will then be able to offer front line support to colleagues. 

The course will enable Irwin Mitchell’s ‘Healthy Mind Advocates’ to have:  

• An understanding of common mental health issues  
• Knowledge and confidence to advocate for mental health awareness
• The ability to spot signs of mental ill health 
• Skills to support positive wellbeing.

The firm, which has 13 UK offices, has also revealed that it will be making other tailored training available to all of its line managers this summer, to help them offer better support to staff with mental health issues.   

Irwin Mitchell are using Mental Health Awareness Week to ensure colleagues are aware of how to access free and confidential support through their specialist helpline provider, which is available 365 days per year, free face-to-face counselling sessions and will be encouraging positive conversations about emotional well-being. 

Internally colleagues will be sharing their own experiences with a range of issues to raise awareness and help break down the negative stigmas associated with mental health. 

The theme of this year’s event is stress. Research has shown that two thirds of people in the UK experience a mental health problem in their lifetime, with stress forming a key factor in this. 

The Mental Health Foundation say that tackling stress can go a long way to reducing mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, and, in some instances, self-harm and suicide. 

The firm’s activity for the week will be topped off on Friday when guest speaker, Alison Charles, will give a talk from the firm’s London office which will be broadcast across the firm. Alison, an expert on stress in the workplace, will be sharing coping techniques with stress and emotional-wellbeing in the workplace.

Irwin Mitchell's Director of HR, Andrea Preston said: