AN Ilkley law firm has made mental health a priority by investing in specialist training that teaches people how to spot the signs and symptoms of mental ill health and provide relevant help.

All people managers at LCF Law were trained in ‘Mental Health Awareness’ earlier this year. More recently, 13 members of the team have become ‘Mental Health First Aiders’ having completed a training course run by Flourish In Mind, which is internationally recognised by Mental Health First Aid (MHFA).

The training is part of the firm’s wider wellbeing strategy, and the team is now recognised in the business as ‘Wellbeing Champions’. The colleagues, who work across LCF Law’s offices in Leeds, Bradford, Harrogate and Ilkley will champion the programme and work together on further wellbeing initiatives.

Human resources director, Kav Sangha, said: “We believe it’s vitally important that our leadership team is able to recognise when their colleagues might be struggling with their mental health and support them.

“Having a team that is healthy, strong and secure, both physically and mentally, enables us all to be at our best at all times - at work, at home and for our clients. Our aim is to raise awareness of the importance of good mental health and to create a culture where our staff can always talk things through.

“The training ensures that our managers and wellbeing champions have the confidence to be proactive and approach individuals who may be exhibiting signs of mental ill health. A simple initial non-judgemental conversation can make a world of difference and we are incredibly proud of everyone for their dedication and willingness to learn and upskill in order to help others.”

Jennifer Rawlinson, from Flourish In Mind, said: “MHFA won’t teach people to be a therapist, but just like physical first aid, it will teach them to listen, reassure and respond, even in a crisis. A third of our lives are spent at work and it’s very difficult to completely separate work life from personal life and vice versa. Every organisation has a responsibility to help their people feel as well as possible in both their personal and work life, which will ultimately help foster a positive and people focused work environment. The team at LCF Law has fully embraced this wellbeing concept and mental health training and it’s a real delight to be working with them on their wider wellbeing strategy.”