Mental Health Skills for Managers
Help managers feel more confident having supportive mental health conversations at work, while looking after their own wellbeing and leading with compassion.
Support your team's mental health as a manager
The Mental Health Skills for Managers course is a four-hour training session designed for people managers across every sector. It supports managers to recognise when a team member may be experiencing poor mental health, respond with empathy and signpost towards appropriate support.
This mental health training for managers is ideal for organisations that want to put wellbeing at the heart of leadership. It gives managers practical tools to support their teams, reduce uncertainty around difficult conversations and build a more open, proactive approach to workplace mental health.
This is a practical course that’s grounded in real workplace conversations. It helps managers build confidence without expecting them to become therapists, counsellors or clinicians.
What is Mental Health Skills for Managers?
Mental Health Skills for Managers is a focused training course that helps managers understand mental health, stress and the important role they can play in supporting their teams.
Managers are often the first people to notice changes in someone’s behaviour, performance or wellbeing. They may also be the person an employee turns to when they are struggling. This can feel difficult if managers have not had the training, language or confidence to approach mental health conversations safely and appropriately.
This course helps managers understand how to prepare for conversations, listen actively, respond with empathy and signpost team members towards the right support.
It also recognises that managers have their own pressures too. Supporting others can feel demanding, especially when managers are balancing workloads, team needs and organisational responsibilities. The course explores wellbeing and stress management for managers themselves, helping them consider how to support both their team and their own mental health.
Who Is This Course For?
This course is designed for people managers across every sector. It is suitable for:
The course is particularly useful for managers who want to feel more confident recognising early signs of poor mental health, having open conversations and responding in a way that feels supportive, boundaried and appropriate.
It is also a helpful option for organisations that want to give managers a shared approach to workplace wellbeing, rather than leaving them to navigate mental health conversations alone.
What Will Learners Gain From The Course?
By the end of this Mental Health Skills for Managers, learners will have a clearer understanding of mental health at work and a practical framework for supporting their teams.
Learners will explore how to:
- Describe mental health and the impact of stress on employees
- Identify when a team member may be experiencing poor mental health
- Have open conversations about mental health at work with greater confidence
- Respond empathetically to challenging mental health situations
- Signpost team members to the right support
- Describe what support is available to themselves and their team
- Understand how to access support when it is needed
The course is designed to be practical and confidence-building. It helps managers understand that they do not need to have all the answers to be helpful.
Instead, the focus is on noticing changes, creating space for conversation, listening well, responding with care and knowing when to involve appropriate support.
The Mental Health Skills for Managers course is delivered over four hours.
It can be delivered either face-to-face or online. The course is led by an instructor with people management experience and includes group activities and discussion. Learners are encouraged to practise, reflect and share best practice in a supportive environment.
This format helps managers connect the learning to real workplace situations. It gives you time to explore what supportive conversations can look like, what can make them difficult and how to approach them with greater confidence.
What Does The Course Cover?
The Mental Health Aware course covers a broad range of introductory mental health topics.
Learners will explore:
The mental health skills for managers course covers a range of mental health at work topics.
The course includes:
- The mental health spectrum
- Knowing your team
- Knowing yourself
- Early warning signs
- Stress and workplace stressors
- The Stress Container
- Barriers to mental health conversations
- Preparing for mental health conversations
- Preparing for virtual mental health conversations
- The conversation cycle
- Helpful questions
- Active listening
- Empathetic responses
- Signposting
- Wellbeing and stress management for yourself
- Commitments to change
The course is designed to feel practical and realistic. It acknowledges that workplace conversations can sometimes be sensitive, complex or time pressured, and helps managers consider how to respond with clarity and compassion.
What Will Learners Receive?
After completing the course, learners will receive practical resources to support their learning and help them apply it in their management role.
Course takeaways include:
These resources are designed to help managers revisit the learning after the session and continue building confidence in everyday workplace conversations.
Why Choose Changing Minds Training?
Changing Minds Training delivers accredited mental health, suicide prevention and wellbeing training built around compassion, lived experience and practical skills.
Based in Redhill, Surrey and delivering training nationwide, we support organisations, individuals and community groups to build confidence around mental health, wellbeing and inclusion.
We understand that as a manager, you can feel a real sense of responsibility when someone in your team is struggling. It can be worrying as to whether you’re saying the wrong thing, overstepping boundaries or missing signs that someone needs support.
Our approach helps managers feel more prepared, without placing unrealistic expectations on them.
Our training is:
- Warm, human and reassuring
- Practical and confidence-building
- Designed for real workplace conversations
- Sensitive around mental health and wellbeing
- Clear about boundaries and signposting
- Supportive of managers’ own wellbeing
- Relevant for corporate, clinical, care and community settings
This course helps managers lead with more confidence and compassion, while recognising the importance of appropriate support and shared responsibility.
Public & Private Course Delivery
Public Courses
Public courses are suitable for individuals and small groups who would like to join an open course. These may be delivered online or at a public venue.
Private Courses
Private courses are delivered for one organisation at your premises, chosen venue or online. This can be a helpful option if you want to train a group of managers together and build a shared approach to mental health and wellbeing across your organisation.
The Mental Health Skills for Managers course is available for groups of up to 16 learners.
Individual Rate
Group Rate
Is this the right course for your organisation?
Mental Health Skills for Managers is a strong option if you want to give managers practical tools for supporting mental health at work.
It may be particularly useful if you want to:
- Help managers feel more confident talking about mental health
- Support early, compassionate conversations
- Improve understanding of stress and workplace stressors
- Give managers a clear approach to listening and signposting
- Support managers’ own wellbeing
- Strengthen your organisation’s wider wellbeing strategy
- Create a more proactive and supportive workplace culture
This course can work well alongside broader mental health awareness training, MHFA Champion training or Mental Health First Aid training, depending on the needs of your organisation.
Not sure which course is the best fit? Don’t worry, we can help you compare options and choose the most suitable pathway for your managers and teams.
Enquire about Mental Health Training For Managers
If you are looking for mental health training for managers, we would be happy to help.
Get in touch to discuss public course options, private training for your organisation or the most suitable mental health training pathway for your workplace
- Call Us Directly01737 632279
- Send an Emailenquiries@changingmindstraining.com
- Business Hours
Monday – Friday: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM