MH101 > Workshops > How does MH101 rate?

How does MH101 rate?

With any training programme, the proof is in its long-term impact…
Does the training provide tangible, value-for-investment benefits?
Does it give people skills that they can take away and use?
Does it give them more confidence?
And – most importantly for long-term impact – does it change their behaviours?

For MH101, the answers are yes, yes, yes and yes again.

MH101’s results show that the course is having significant and measurable impacts on those attending. This leads to better outcomes for people with experience of mental illness - and better outcomes for New Zealand communities.

Where’s the proof?

At MH101, we believe in accountability, so the MH101 course has been extensively evaluated since we started delivering it in 2009. MH101 trainees are asked to undertake:

a pre-training evaluation to assess their ‘baseline’ knowledge
an evaluation immediately after training
another evaluation three months after training.

Key results from these evaluations are outlined under the following sections.

Overall rating / Changes in knowledge / Changes in attitude / Changes in behaviour / Impact in the workplace / Impact in personal life / Results in pictures – view the research graphs / Comments and testimonials

Overall rating – they like it!

"This is the most incredible training I have ever attended in my entire policing career..." (Participant, NZ Police.)

Of those who attended the course:

95% of participants rated the course content, presentation and delivery as excellent or very good
90% said the course provided the information they wanted.

Changes in knowledge

"I learnt more today than I thought possible in one day, about mental health and how to recognise, relate and respond to people experiencing mental illness..." (Participant, Barnardos.)

All participants felt more confident at the end of the programme, both in recognising the state of their own mental health and the signs and symptoms of distress in others.

Having the opportunity to assess their mental health state was a highlight for most people, with the associated activity being one of the most remembered parts of the training day.

“Would you feel confident in recognising substance abuse disorder?”

Before workshop: ‘confident’ rating was 16%
After workshop: ‘confident’ rating was 76%
Improvement: 60%

“Would you feel confident in recognising depression?”

Before workshop: ‘confident’ rating was 32%
After workshop: ‘confident’ rating was 77%
Improvement: 45%

Changes in attitude

"The programme taught me that heroic responses or great deeds are not required. It should be within the capacity of anyone to react appropriately..." (Participant, Department of Labour.)

Prior to MH101 training, many people noted a lack of knowledge or confidence around mental health issues. There was significant change in all of these ratings following the workshop.

“I know how I could be supportive of people with mental illness if I wanted to be.”

Before workshop: ‘strongly agree’ rating was 39%
After workshop: ‘strongly agree’ rating was 94%
Improvement: 55%

“I have an understanding of what it would be like to have a mental illness.”

Before workshop: ‘agree’ rating was 37%
After workshop at three-months followup: ‘agree’ rating was 68%
Improvement: 31%

Changes in behaviour

“This has given me more confidence to deal with any person’s situation that I come up against...” (Participant, Citizens Advice Bureau.)

Researchers generally believe that ‘changes in behaviour’ ratings are the strongest indicator of the overall impact of a training course. With MH101, changes in behaviour of those attending have been substantial, with two thirds of people undertaking changes in their day to day lives.

81% are now doing more things to keep themselves mentally well.
76% are now providing increased support to clients, colleagues, family or friends with mental illness.
72% are now providing increased support to those they are dealing with at work who have mental illness.
69% are suggesting self-help strategies to others more often.
51% more are providing referrals to professional help options.

Impact in the workplace

“The day following this workshop our admin staff member was faced with a person in real distress. She and the rest of our staff handled the entire situation seamlessly, thanks to the training we had all attended the day before. Is great to see our learning in action...” (Participant, Special Education.)

Managers found the course useful in terms of them being able to provide professional development and training for staff in their workplace. They told us that they found that the course led to a more supportive and caring workplace.

Participants offered the following as ways the workshop had a positive impact in their workplace.

Knowing how to deal with people or clients with mental illness and learning how others deal with similar situations.
Frequent mention of being able to identify mental illness and subsequent client issues arising from this.
Feeling like they had a greater understanding around mental health issues and were more confident in referring on to other support options for people.

Impact in personal life

“It’s great knowing more about how to manage myself when I have mild 'black dog days'...” (Workshop participant.)

A large amount of the participants showed impact on their own personal lives, with many taking on clear messages about looking after themselves and others better in times of stress. Some of the ways they reported doing this were as follows.

Nearly half of all the participants had undertaken exercise, either through walking or joining a gym to keep healthy.
Having a greater awareness in taking ‘me’ time, and taking steps to ensure it happened.
Having more confidence in recognising and responding to mental health issues that were occurring in their home lives.
Finding strategies to cope with, and support, a family member who is experiencing mental illness.

Results in pictures...

Confidence in recognising signs and symptoms:
pre-training versus post-training

Confidence in knowing how to respond:
pre-training versus three months after training

Change in attitudes:
pre-training versus three months after training
(N.B. blue lines are changes made over 10 years with Like Minds, Like Mine campaign.)

Behaviour change as a result of workshop

Comments and testimonials

Many people who responded to the MH101 surveys chose to expand on their answers with additional comments. Read their testimonials here.

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It's not unusual...

Nearly 47% of New Zealanders experience mental illness at some stage in their lives. When ongoing stress leads to an experience of mental illness, the ability of both ourselves and others to recognise the signs and symptoms early ensures the appropriate support can be offered.

Mental distress can present itself in many different ways, including in physical, spiritual, behavioural or emotional dimensions. The symptoms will be different according to the type of illness, but the most important thing to remember is that mental illness has equal capacity to either enhance or disturb people's lives.

With the right support from friends, family and colleagues, the amount of disturbance can be minimised. On the other hand, the courage, hope and strength that living with mental illness requires often enhances the ability of people to live well and hold valued roles within their whanau and communities.

Being able to recognise good mental health and what we can do to maintain it is important to everyone.
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Stand in their shoes...

The ability to relate to people experiencing mental distress or mental illness is paramount if you are going to respond appropriately. Knowing how your reactions can impact on the thoughts, feelings and behaviours of others can make all the difference.

We all have individual beliefs and thoughts about situations we are faced with. Often these are automatic and occur before we've even had time to process them. It's important that we learn how to take the time to stop and think about how these thoughts and feelings may impact on another person. Doing this also gives us time to appreciate what might be going on for the other person.

Relating to the experience of mental illness often means standing in the shoes of another and empathising with their experience. Acknowledging the person as an individual who, despite a change in behaviours and thoughts, is still the same person in the first step to maintaining a relationship with them.

To read more about the experiences of those affected by mentall illness check out these stories on Like Minds, Like Mine and The Lowdown.
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Your response counts

Be professional. Be polite. Tell the truth.

When people are experiencing distress, more often than not, it's the simple things that you can do that make a difference. If someone needs help and you're not sure what to do, just ask. Here are some ways of 'being':
- be genuine
- be compassionate
- be respectful
- be kind
- be gentle
- be a friend.
Sometimes things like making a cup of tea, offering to put on a load of washing, helping a colleague finish a large report or babysitting your brother's kids for the night can make the difference. Other ways of helping could include finding an understanding GP or giving an obviously stressed client help to fill in some forms. Just taking the time to provide some help and support shows someone they're not alone. If you need more help, you can also seek a professional response.
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