About this Kane FM story
Trigger Warning: This article covers the topic of suicide.
Get Men Talking is a new initiative in Surrey offering free mental health and suicide awareness training. The project starts this March and will be accessible to people across Surrey and online. The **BarberTalk special Daytime course is coming up on the 14th of March. Please sign up here.
There is nothing unusual about suffering with one’s mental health and it is very possible to recover, especially after accessing support. 1 in 4 people experience mental ill-health in their lifetime. In the UK, 1 in 5 think about suicide, and 1 in 15 attempt suicide. With the correct education people can be trained to know how to reach out to those in a vulnerable position, which is exactly what this project’s purpose is.
Men tend to be more reluctant to disclose their feelings and seek support for mental health struggles or suicidal thoughts, often choosing to dismiss their feelings or go on to self-medicate. National statistics demonstrate that three out of four suicides are men. This may be due to the impact of traditional gender roles and pressures placed upon men to keep their vulnerabilities under lock and key. The invisible nature of the issue should not detract from its impact on individuals and their loved ones. Suicide remains the biggest killer in men under 50, which is why it is crucial that we work towards breaking the stigma and encourage everyone to feel comfortable enough to open-up and seek support for their mental ill-health.
Get Men Talking provides participants with Mental health resources and tools to start simple conversations which could save lives. The focus is on training participants to spot the signs of suicidal behaviours and crisis, deepening communication skills, learning words and phrases to avoid and knowing how to signpost someone to safety. You can book training for yourself or your workplace for free and gain tools to help.
Surrey County council were able to commission Get Men Talking after making a successful bid for the project to the NHS Suicide Prevention funding programme. Voluntary sector organisations in Surrey; Catalyst Support and Mary Frances Trust are working together with Surrey Police on this campaign, delivered through Time to Change Surrey.
The project hopes to engage with those in occupations which have a high ratio of both male staff and clients such as builders, merchants, barbers, footballers and taxi drivers. Mates in mind and Institute for Employment Studies carried out research with construction workers from various trades, which demonstrated how the stigma of mental illness has prevented them from discussing it beyond close friends and family members. The suicide rate among construction workers is three times the national average for men, identifying them as a high-risk group.
Tom Chapman, one of the trainers at Get Men Talking, is an award winning barber, author, public speaker, global barber director and international educator, who started an international collective of barbers in 2015 called the Lions Barber Collective raising awareness for suicide prevention.
Another one of the trainers is Graham Foxwell, who has over 30 years of Youth and Community work under his belt. Graham is a mental health and well-being consultant and educator and the founder of Cedar Tree Mental Health and Wellbeing. Graham was an Expert Mental Health Trainer for Surrey & Borders NHS Trust, an Emotional Well-being Manger for a Youth Charity and a Mental health and Wellbeing consultant for a county council project.
Further Resources for signposting in Surrey
(PHONE) The Crisis Mental Health Helpline is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year for mental health advice and support. Telephone: 0800 915 4644.
(IN PERSON) Safe Havens across Surrey provide out of hours help and support to people and their carers who are experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress, as a safe alternative to A&E.
(MOBILE PHONE APP) Surrey County Council and Grassroots have developed the Stay Alive app, a suicide prevention resource on phones that offers support and a range of useful features.
(FURTHER TRAINING) The Zero Suicide Alliance - a collaboration of NHS trusts, charities and businesses - has also developed free online suicide training. It takes less than 30 minutes to complete and provides the skills and awareness to recognise when someone is contemplating taking their own life and what you can do to help.
(INFORMATION FOR WELLBEING) The First Steps advice and support guide is for anyone aged 18 years or above who is looking to take the first steps to improve mental well-being for themselves, their friends or family members.