Staffordshire University hosted a ‘Caring for the Carers’ to support the wellbeing of students from a range health and social care courses.
The day began with a conference featuring counsellor Jan Summerfield who specialises in ‘Critical Incident Stress Management’ – an approach which helps emergency workers develop important skills such as debriefing after significant incidents.
Students also heard from Liam Barnes, founder of the UK's leading mental health charity for healthcare workers and emergency services, the Laura Hyde Foundation.
Becky Boden, Course Lead and Senior Lecturer in Children’s Nursing, helped to organise the event. She said: “We want to highlight the importance of wellbeing within health and social care professions, and to help students recognise the value of self-care within these rewarding but challenging roles.
“This event was designed to promote resilience, share ways we can support each other and give students the tools to manage stress so that they can create healthy habits to take forward in their careers."
The afternoon saw a host of activities to promote self-care including wellbeing walks, massages, sound baths, and mindfulness workshops.
Former paramedic Pete Lewin also introduced students to his Newfoundland therapy dogs which provide emotional support to staff from front-line emergency services, military veterans, and those struggling with their mental health.
The ‘Caring for the Carers’ event follows other successful initiatives from Staffordshire University to support students entering health and social care professions. The Debrief Hub was set up for students to informally connect, decompress and reflect on the pressures and successes of placements.
The WRAP (Work, Relax and Play) project also provides an opportunity for students to reflect on their work, relax with activities including yoga, tai chi and allotment gardening or take part in fun activities like quizzes and badminton.
Bridie Benson, studying Paramedic Science, commented: “I think that mental health is vastly important. When you do a healthcare course you take on a lot, so it has been great to learn about the support and resources that are out there because sometimes it’s hard to know where to turn.”
Child Nursing student Annelie Rawsthorne-Durand added: “It’s been very peaceful and very relaxing after doing long shifts and I’ve really enjoyed it. I think it’s important to take time out from uni and shift work.”
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