Mental Health First Aiders

Mental health first aiders are an initial point of contact for staff and students experiencing a mental health issue or emotional distress. They are members of staff of our department, and have completed a two-day mental health first-aid training course, accredited by Mental Health England. They are trained to recognise the symptoms of mental ill health, provide initial help and guide a person towards appropriate professional help. Mental Health First Aiders are not trained to be therapists, but they are taught how to respond in a crisis.

How do Mental Health First Aiders help?

• They are available for supportive conversation
• They listen non-judgementally, maintaining confidentiality.
• They guide you to obtaining further appropriate help, whether through professional support or self-help resources

Please feel free to get in touch with any of the mental health first aiders. Please pass on this information about Mental Health First Aid to any member of the Department of Physics who might benefit from having an informal, confidential chat with someone at a physical or virtual convenient location that suits them.

Mental Health First Aiders: Department of Physics

Jonathan Bath jonathan.bath@physics.ox.ac.uk
Ashling Gordon ashling.gordon@physics.ox.ac.uk
Matt Jarvis matt.jarvis@physics.ox.ac.uk
Nicole Malloy nicole.malloy@physics.ox.ac.uk
Leanne O'Donnell leanne.odonnell@physics.ox.ac.uk
Anastasia Ponomareva anastasia.ponomareva@physics.ox.ac.uk
Kerry Smith kerry.smith@physics.ox.ac.uk
Jenny Woods jenny.woods@physics.ox.ac.uk

The University of Oxford's Occupational Health Service also offers advice and support for staff; find out more here: https://occupationalhealth.admin.ox.ac.uk/mental-health