Mental Health Skills for Managers

People managers are often the first to notice when a team member is struggling. Most don't feel equipped for that moment - not because they don't care, but because they've never been trained for it.

This MHFA England half-day course gives managers the practical skills and language to have effective mental health conversations with their people: earlier, more confidently and without overstepping professional boundaries.

Updated in 2024 with new content on stress, legal responsibilities and manager-specific scenarios. Suitable for people managers at any level, from those new to the role to those building on existing knowledge.

Managers have more influence over employee mental health than most organisations acknowledge. They are the first point of contact for someone struggling, the person most likely to notice early warning signs - and the person most likely to feel out of their depth when the conversation happens.

Without the right skills, well-meaning managers default to avoidance, hoping the problem resolves itself, or to inadvertent overreach, offering support that goes beyond their role. Both carry risk: for the employee, for the manager and for the organisation.

This course gives managers a practical, structured foundation for those conversations - grounded in real management scenarios and the specific legal responsibilities that come with the role.

By the end of this half-day course, managers will be able to:

• Describe mental health and the impact of workplace stress on employees

• Recognise signs that a team member may be experiencing poor mental health

• Have open, confident conversations about mental health at work

• Respond with empathy to challenging situations involving mental health in the workplace

• Signpost team members to appropriate support - internal and external

• Know what support is available for themselves, and how to access it

Managers also leave with a clearer understanding of their legal responsibilities around workplace mental health and stress - included in the updated 2024 course content.

Based on evaluation data from Jake's delivery:

instructor rating 9.67/10,

likelihood to recommend 9.59/10.

Confidence in supporting colleagues moves from 7.3 to 9.1 out of 10 (+24%); knowledge from 7.6 to 9.2 out of 10 (+22%).

• A half-day course (four hours), delivered in-person at your location or online as a live facilitated session.

• Structured mix of presentation, group discussion and workshop activities

• Maximum 16 participants per session

• Manager toolkit, conversation frameworks and signposting guide included

• Individual places available on open online cohorts

• Delivered by Jake Morrison, an MHFA England Independent Instructor Member