Club chaplains say mental health course is a winner
Football chaplains are aiming to kick out mental health stigmas as they take on safeguarding training.
Pastors Jim Smith of New Life Church in Prestwick and John Smillie of West Coast Church in Ayr attended the Mental Health First Aid Training course at Hampden Park last month where they learned to recognise the signs and symptoms of mental health illness amongst players.
The pair are chaplains of Ayr United and Whitletts Victoria football clubs and hope their new training can help any players struggling with their mental health to speak up. The training course focuses on the pressures experienced by those involved in the sport and was set up to enable club representatives to take positive steps towards safeguarding the mental health and wellbeing of their players and staff.
The course was set up in parntership with the SPFL and Chris Mitchell Foundation, a footballer who tragically took his own life in 2016 at the age of just 27.
Ayr United chaplain Jim said that there has been a stigma around mental health for years.
He explained: “It was great training to be able to recognise the signs.
“It gives you a bit more confidence and the tools to look out for symptoms and help when you can.
John, Whitletts Victoria chaplain agreed that course has given him more confidence to be able to spot the signs. He added: “The mental health first aid course was excellent and very informative.
“I will be able to use the knowledge in a wider pastoral and church context and not just in my role as a local football chaplain.”
Mark Fleming, Director and Senior Trainer at Positive Mental Health Scotland, said: “Ayr United and Whitletts Victoria are recognising the value of Pastoral support at the respective clubs and this is one of the ways in which the chaplaincy can use that support.
“It shows they’re demonstrating that care but also that there’s that link between the church and the sporting world.” Mark has been an NHS instructor for two and a half years and works with individual clubs along with SPFL clubs.
He continued: “What the course does is puts tools in peoples’ hands to spot the signs of poor mental health and be proactive and approach them and say ‘ look I’ve noticed this, we’re really concerned about you – do you want to talk about anything?’
“If you get somebody trained up and then being proactive – whilst they’re not going to be instructed to diagnose people because that’s the GP’s job – if they can spot the signs and symptoms, they can open up the conversation.”