Mental health problems do not care what industry you work in, what size your business is, or where in Cheshire you are based. They affect people in care homes in Crewe just as much as they affect people in offices in Warrington. They affect hairdressers in Knutsford, mechanics in Congleton, pub staff in Nantwich, nursery workers in Chester, and dental teams in Macclesfield. If you have a team, mental health is something you need to take seriously.
The numbers are hard to ignore. Poor mental health is now the leading cause of long term sickness absence in the UK. But beyond the statistics, most business owners and managers in Cheshire have seen the impact first hand. A good member of staff who starts withdrawing. Someone whose performance drops without explanation. A colleague who calls in sick more and more often. A team member who seems fine on the surface but is quietly struggling underneath.
Mental health training gives your team the tools to recognise these signs, have supportive conversations, and guide people towards the help they need. It is not about turning your staff into therapists. It is about creating a workplace where people feel safe to speak up and where someone knows what to do when they do.
We are PCT Services, and we deliver accredited mental health training from our training centre at First Floor, 2 Queen Street in Northwich, right in the centre of Cheshire. We also deliver on site at workplaces across the county.
Two courses, two levels
We offer two Qualsafe Awards accredited mental health courses, and most of the businesses we work with across Cheshire find that a combination of both gives them the strongest coverage.
Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace (1 Day)
This is a Level 2 qualification that gives your whole team a solid foundation in mental health awareness. It covers what mental health is, how to recognise the signs of common mental health conditions including depression, anxiety, and stress, and how to respond supportively when a colleague seems to be struggling.
It is suitable for everyone in your organisation, from front line staff to team leaders and managers. It costs £95 plus VAT per person, the certificate is valid for three years, and groups can be up to 16.
This is the course for building awareness across your whole team. When everyone has a baseline understanding of mental health, the culture shifts. People become more aware of each other, more willing to check in, and less likely to let problems go unnoticed.
Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace
1 in 4 people in the UK are likely to experience mental health issues each year. By developing an understanding of common mental health issues, employees can become mental health advocates and encourage positive conversations about mental health in the workplace.
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace (2 Day)
This is a Level 3 qualification for the people you want to become your designated mental health first aiders. It goes significantly deeper than the awareness course and covers how to have structured supportive conversations, how to assess when someone may be at risk of harm, how to signpost to professional services, and how to create a culture where people feel safe to talk.
It costs £220 plus VAT per person, the certificate is valid for three years, and groups can be up to 16. This is for your HR staff, wellbeing champions, managers with pastoral responsibilities, and anyone you want to be a point of contact for staff who need support.
Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace
Supporting work colleagues who are experiencing poor mental health has become a priority for many employers. By developing a greater understanding of common mental health issues, as well as how best to support and guide someone experiencing poor mental health, Mental Health First Aiders play a vital role in reducing the stigma associated with mental health in the UK.
Northwich Training Centre, Northwich
Fully booked · 3 dates available
How Cheshire businesses are using mental health training
The approach that works best is a layered one. You train two or three people as designated mental health first aiders through the two day course. These are the people your team knows they can turn to. Then you put the wider team through the one day awareness course so that everyone understands mental health, recognises the signs, and knows where to direct a colleague who needs help.
This works in every type of business, and we see it across all sorts of settings in Cheshire.
Care homes in Winsford, Ellesmere Port, and Runcorn train their senior carers and managers as mental health first aiders because the emotional toll of caring work is immense, and staff need support to keep doing it well. GP surgeries and dental practices across the county put their practice managers through the two day course and their wider teams through the one day course. Garages and trades businesses in Congleton, Sandbach, and Middlewich are recognising that mental health in physically demanding, male-dominated workplaces needs attention. Pubs, restaurants, and hospitality businesses in Chester, Frodsham, and Lymm are training managers to support staff working unsociable hours in high pressure environments. Schools and nurseries across Cheshire use both courses to support teaching and support staff who carry huge responsibility. And salons, shops, and small businesses in Alderley Edge, Wilmslow, Holmes Chapel, and Altrincham are finding that even in a small team, having one person trained in mental health first aid makes a real difference.
It is not just about staff wellbeing
Although looking after your team is reason enough, mental health training also makes business sense. Reduced sickness absence. Lower staff turnover. Better morale. Stronger teamwork. And a reputation as an employer that genuinely cares about its people, which matters when you are trying to recruit in a competitive market.
Some employers come to us because they have a contractual or regulatory requirement for mental health training. Others come because they have seen what happens when mental health problems are ignored in their team and they do not want it to happen again. Whatever the reason, the result is the same. Trained teams handle mental health better, and everyone benefits.
Central Cheshire location, county-wide delivery
Our training centre in Northwich is easy to get to from every corner of Cheshire. We run scheduled mental health courses throughout the year with live dates you can book directly on our Mental Health First Aid in the Workplace page or our Understanding Mental Health in the Workplace page.
We also deliver both courses on site at workplaces across Cheshire. We bring everything we need and set up wherever works best for you. This is popular with businesses that want to train a group in their own environment, and it works for any size of organisation in any location.
Book your training
If you want to bring mental health training to your Cheshire workplace, check the upcoming dates on our course pages and book directly. Or give us a call on 07958 915146 and we can discuss what would work best for your team, whether that is the full two day course for your mental health first aiders, the one day awareness course for your wider team, or both.
Looking after your team's mental health is one of the best things you can do as an employer. We are here to help you do it properly.
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