I have been delivering Mental Health training since 2013, in a wide variety of settings. I an an Independent Instructor Member of MHFA England and also an associate instructor for the MHFA England Workplace Team, offering the full Adult range of MHFA England products. I also offer bespoke training and consultancy to organisations who wish to support the wellbeing of their staff or members.
I back up high quality MHFA England Certified training with a variety of angles of experience and knowledge which help in exploring issues from the perspectives of the individual, the employer, and support services.
Lived Experience of Mental Ill Health
I have lived with anxiety, depression, mood disorder for 35 years, impacting every aspect of my life, relationships and career. I have come to understand the events and drivers which have contributed to my mental health challenges, and learned more about what helps me overcome – coping mechanisms and wellbeing approaches, as well as how to understand the way my brain works to help me to thrive. I still have my bad days and difficulties, but I understand them more, and most importantly how to help myself back to a better place sooner rather than later.
This personal experience puts a human face on the topics we learn about in training, and often puts people at ease to talk about their own stories, and ask questions, to contribute to richer learning all round.
Management & HR Policy
Prior to launching Sarah Long Mental Health & Wellbeing I worked for 16 years in the UK Government Department of Health, managing a team of information professionals to deliver library and information services to support evidence based health and social care policy making. I was also chair of the Department’s Disabled Staff Network and worked with our Human Resources Department to improve staff policies around mental health, sickness absence and reasonable adjustments to support disabled employees. In this capacity I also participated in Cross Government activities, and connected with colleagues working towards shared goals in the wider business community.
Supporting Employees with Mental Ill Health and other Disabilities
Working with EnABLE, the Disabled Staff Network of the Department of Health gave me the opportunity to help people get the support they needed from managers / the organisation to be able to thrive in the workplace. Understanding employment law, and how minor reasonable adjustments can make the world of difference for people in lessening potential negative impact of work issues, and overcoming the challenges experienced by the person in relation to their mental or physical disability, to put them in a position where they can bring their best self into work, benefit from the advantages of rewarding employment, and also be able to get the most of their home life.
Education, Training & Research
I bring the skills of my former profession of Chartered Health Librarian into my continuous professional development – continually learning about mental health and wellbeing to feed into my training delivery.
Recent Formal Training / Qualifications
PG Cert Interpersonal & Counselling Skills (Leeds Beckett University)
Science of Happiness (UC Berkeley)
iACT Managing and Promoting Mental Health and Wellbeing
Suicide First Aid
Experience working with the following sectors
Civil Service / Government / NHS / Unions / Industry / Construction / Finance / Education / Public Sector / Private Sector / Third Sector / Charities / Service Industries / Local Government / Colleges / Universities / Manufacturing / Logistics / Transport / Aviation / Retail / Pharmaceuticals / and more.
What People Say
I really enjoyed this course today and I would say it genuinely broadened my knowledge of this very important area of health & wellbeing, an area that is very misunderstood & overlooked – Sarah was excellent an excellent communicator & very knowledgeable
I was very impressed with Sarah’s manner and the way in which she engaged with the group. She listened carefully to feedback and weaved this into the content. The mixture of videos, group discussions, polls and whiteboard use kept the session engaging
Sarah was a brilliant facilitator. She explained everything really well and always included examples which helped clarify and solidify the information we were being taught. She was approachable, knowledgable and friendly. I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of her course