Wellbeing Champions and Mental Health First Aiders
Find out about the IoO staff members trained in Higher Education Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), who work enthusiastically to make positive changes in the wellbeing of our staff and students.
Meet the team
The IoO has three Mental Health First Aiders, who are also your Wellbeing Champions:
Jill Cowing
Oriel Programme Manager
As someone who has suffered with poor mental health several times in my life, I found it invaluable to have someone to talk to in times of need. It is wonderful that UCL now has Wellbeing Champions and Mental Health First Aiders and these are teams I am proud to be a part of. I used to be a volunteer with a listening charity for people in crisis and have also trained as a counsellor, although no longer practice. I hope that the experience gained in these roles, and life in general, can help me contribute towards making IoO a happier and more caring place for us all.
Diana Sefic Svara
Imaging Technician
Being a Wellbeing Champion means that I can help make our workplace a more positive, kinder, healthier, less stressful and more balanced place to work and create. I deeply understand the devastating impact of poor mental health on individuals and their closest family as I have experienced it within my own. I want to use all the knowledge and experience I have from supporting family members – and the skills I used to support myself along the way – to assist colleagues who need to be heard, helped and guided back to their best selves.
What we do
The team at the IoO is part of a wider UCL network of Wellbeing Champions and Mental Health First Aiders. We are engaged to deliver across all six pillars of wellbeing and to co-create a wellbeing culture. We wish to empower staff and students to take ownership of their wellbeing through promotion of information, events and access to toolkits and self-directed learning resources to help everyone to make informed choices.
Our role also includes providing assistance to colleagues developing mental health issues or who are in a mental health crisis. Our support includes, but is not limited to, issues relating to: anxiety, depression, substance misuse, eating disorders and self-harm. We have learned how to:
- Spot early signs of mental health issue
- Provide initial help to a person experiencing a mental health issue
- Help stop mental ill health from getting worse
- Promote recovery of good mental health
- Create and maintain a mentally healthy HE community
Contact us
You can get in touch with the Mental Health First Aid team to talk around any issue affecting your wellbeing and mental health. Our conversations will be in strictest confidence and your anonymity is guaranteed in any data analysis.
We will use a quiet room for a one-to-one meeting. Come and see us in person or message us: ioo.wellbeing@ucl.ac.uk