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Latest news

Keen to keep up with MH101 updates? Sign up to our e-newsletter and MH101 news will come straight to your inbox! On this page you'll find the latest edition including hints about how to survive this Christmas.

Safe and happy holidays

As we near the end of 2011, we've been reflecting on the MH101 programme; what it has achieved and the lives it has touched.

MH101 gives people the confidence to recognise mental distress, relate to individual experiences and respond in an appropriate way. Since 2009, hundreds of frontline government staff, police officers, secondary school counsellors, and other community and social service agency staff throughout New Zealand have benefited from this unique programme. You're one of them!

In 2011:

  • Blueprint for Learning delivered 142 MH101 workshops from Kaitaia to Invercargill, many in rural and remote locations - that's more than two workshops a week
  • more than 2000 people attended an MH101 workshop
  • the Ministry of Health funded 88 MH101 workshops
  • Eighteen MH101 trainers worked tirelessly to deliver inspirational and sometimes life changing learning
  • the Wise Group gifted 20 free workshops to the Christchurch region to provide additional support to people affected by the earthquake.

On reflection, it has truly been a busy and rewarding year. It's fair to say we are looking forward to the holidays!
 
Time and again we hear from people who have attended MH101 and experienced an amazing moment of change. You might be one of those workplace champions who introduced the programme to your organisation. We'd like to acknowledge everyone who attended a workshop this year and sincerely thank you for your support!

We must also thank the Ministry of Health for their continued commitment to funding a world-class, evidence-based mental health and addiction literacy programme that is developed by New Zealanders for New Zealanders!

More MH101 workshops to come!

We are excited to announce that Blueprint for Learning will continue to deliver MH101 workshops for the next two years, having retained the Ministry of Health contract to deliver a further 80 fully-funded workshops until 2013. This is testament to the hard work, quality and dedication of Blueprint's MH101 team.

"This is the most useful training I have been to in the entire 24 years of my policing career."
(Workshop participant, NZ Police)

"It became clear…[in the MH101 workshop] that heroic responses or great deeds are not required. It should be, and is, within the capacity of anyone to react appropriately".
(Participant, Department of Labour)

Nothing gives us greater pleasure than hearing stories about how this one-day workshop has changed people's lives. It is something we have heard many times now.

If there is an individual or organisation you think would benefit from MH101, please let them know about the workshop! We are calling for registrations for our 2012 workshops now! Please register by contacting yanetta.hiko "at" blueprint.co.nz.

We sincerely wish you a safe and happy holiday this Christmas. Please make the most of the glorious sunshine that is predicted and, most importantly, take a moment or two to look after yourself. Until next time.

Sonja Goldsack
Project Manager, MH101 Blueprint for Learning

 

Survive this Christmas! 

If you can't face the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping…

Give a gift that makes a difference - a gift that supports others   

 And you don't need to leave home. You can buy vouchers from websites like Social Angels, World Vision, Oxfam or Save the Children – the money from your voucher will go to causes or buy products for people who really need them in New Zealand or overseas.

 

Christmas is about love and laughter, not labour and laundry!   

 Worried you can't do it all? Put down those complicated recipes for home made delicacies and designer table decorations that will take three days to prepare: keep it simple this Christmas and do what works for you.

Kids on the naughty list?   

As school breaks up and your precious and tired tamariki head for home, put on some Christmas music and get them to make paper chains and lanterns for the house. Relax and they will too – it's hard to squabble when you're singing Christmas carols at the top of your lungs… 

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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.

    More...
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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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