A NORTH Yorkshire therapist is running mental health first aid courses to help businesses.
Mental health first aid instructor Karen Hayward, 55, runs her business Be Positive Solutions in Ryedale and wants to help put mental health first aid on the same footing as physical first aid.
She said: "If we can provide support to members of our workforce in the same way that we would for physical conditions, we can reduce staff turnover, reduce absences, increase productivity and improve morale.
"There is also the legal compliance aspect. Mental health conditions and mental illness are considered disabilities under the Equality Act (2010) and the HSE has recommended businesses have mental health first aiders alongside their physical first aiders. One business that I worked with saw their absence rate fall from 10 per cent to 0.1 per cent.
"The courses are currently delivered online and are a combination of self-directed learning and instructor lead live sessions."
A percentage of the profit from all courses goes to local charities in the Ryedale area.
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