We share our knowledge so that others can join us in improving young people’s mental health.
We run a variety of training courses to give people the confidence, knowledge and skills to improve young people’s mental health.
We draw on 50 years’ experience of supporting young people and a unique take on mental health to offer engaging, relevant and practical training.
Do have a peek at our training portfolio below. All courses can be tailored to your specific needs and delivered in your setting. We can also design and deliver a new training solution bespoke to you.
If you would like to explore how we can help you, please contact diffusion@otrbristol.org.uk.
At OTR we don’t like to call ourselves “experts” and refute the idea that only we can promote and support young people’s mental health. However, through working in the field for over 50 years we have picked up a variety of simple, practical ways to enhance the mental wellbeing of young people. Because we know the positive impact that they can have we want to share our collection of tools, tips and techniques.
What you’ll learn:
This session is aimed at those who work directly with young people. The first half of the day will provide you with a strong overview and understanding of what exactly is young people’s mental health. It will then go on to offer you insight into the tools and techniques our practitioners have found most useful over the years and how they can be adapted as 1:1 and group interventions within your setting.
By the end of it you will have:
Built a greater understanding and confidence around what exactly is “young peoples’ mental health
Explored a variety of different techniques for supporting the mental health and wellbeing of young people
Built confidence in how to adapt and expand on these techniques to make them applicable to your area of work or personal life
Developed your understanding of the current evidence-based approaches for various young people’s mental health interventions
Explored the criticisms and barriers to implementing these approaches and developed some solution focused ideas as to how to make turn this training into sustainable change
Resilience has become a real buzzword over the last decade and it can be challenging to make sense of all the theories and approaches out there. At OTR we’ve explored a whole host of resilience building models that we believe offer practical, real-world techniques and approaches to support our human capacity to navigate adversity. Drawing on our first hand experience of delivering these we’ve cherry picked the ones found to be most effective in supporting positive change.
What you’ll learn:
Whether you work with young people or simply want to discover strategies for boosting the resilience of yourself or those around you, this one day course is for you.
By the end of the day you will have:
Investigated a variety of different definitions of resilience and considered why they matter
Developed your understanding of current evidence-based approaches, including practical principles and techniques effective in building resilience in a user-friendly way
Engaged with criticisms of resilience building and considered how these might influence your practice
Explored tangible ways you can promote the resilience of young people and those in your surrounding networks, by using activities from our Resilience Lab and other tried and tested resources
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) skills have a strong evidence base and can be useful tools for supporting young people in challenging negative thoughts and/or behaviours. The principles and techniques of CBT can be drawn upon in a variety of contexts including work, relationships, school and home life.
What you’ll learn:
This course will introduce you to the core concepts and skills of CBT, aiming to provide you with the confidence and competence to draw on them to empower and bring about positive change in both the young people as well as yourself and others in your surrounding networks.
By the end of the day you will have:
A greater understanding of what CBT is and critically appraised it’s benefits within a variety of situations
Increased ability and insight into the how, why and what regarding common issues that can cause and maintain distress, particularly in young people
Explored core CBT techniques proven to help challenge negative thought patterns and/or behaviours, thus reducing the distress they might cause
Learnt key skills enabling you to deliver these technique with others in a way that maximises empowerment and engagement
Gender and sexuality are two of the most powerful organising principles in our society and as such require exploring and understanding in an empowering and informative way.
What you’ll learn:
This session will explore the increasing diversity and fluidity of gender and sexual identities among ourselves and those we work with, and will give participants new insight and confidence in understanding how these fundamental aspects of our identities shape our mental health and wellbeing.
By the end of it you’ll:
Understand and be able to integrate best practice across multiple settings when supporting LGBTQ+ young people with gender, sexuality and diversity related issues
Empower individuals with the confidence to implement and lead within their community and/or workplace to champion the rights of LGBTQ+ people
Recognise and reflect upon your own values in order to develop and learn new skills
Support and work with others in an interactive way with a strong focus on how to implement the workshop content from individual, systems and organisational perspectives
Become part of a network of trained organisations, locally and nationally, known for implementing meaningful and proactive provision supporting LGBTQ+ service users and staff and developing organisational, structural and community change
There is no research to show that talking to someone about their thoughts of suicide or self-harm will increase their risk, yet all too often people in positions to provide support struggle to open up such conversations, in case they make matters worse or fear they do not have sufficient expertise to intervene.
What you’ll learn:
Free from complex diagrams and professional jargon, this workshop will look at practical, creative and person-centred ways of talking about and working with self-harm and suicide.
By the end of it you’ll:
Be aware of some of the common myths surrounding suicide and self-harm as well as what the reality is
Have explored the common signs and symptoms that can let us know that someone might be at risk
Have gained increased confidence in broaching the topic of self-harm and suicide with someone at risk
Have explored practical, creative and user-friendly strategies to support someone who is experiencing thoughts or engaging in behaviours around self-harm and suicide
Have discussed ways in which you can develop a more sustained approach to wellbeing by exploring the sensory needs of the individual
What better way to work towards a more sustainable and enduring mental health approach in your youth setting than to attend one of our Resilience Lab Train the Trainer programmes?
For ease of access, we offer an in-house Resilience Lab Train the Trainer where we can come to your setting and deliver the programme to larger groups of staff (up to 20).
Alternatively, you can attend one of our open training programmes and benefit from the opportunity to network and learn from other professionals working in similar fields.
Through attending this 2 day workshop participants will:
Share and learn from our knowledge and experience to gain a full and comprehensive understanding of the theory and evidence base behind the Resilience Lab
Learn how to develop your own Resilience Lab (or enhance an existing project) by offering effective content that promotes and sustains good mental health
Be provided with all the resources and marketing materials necessary to set up, deliver, promote and outcome measure the project in your setting
Become part of a growing community of like-minded professionals and receive continuing support and ideas via our online group
A piece of consultancy work and any necessary follow up will be included as standard to ensure any hurdles or challenges you may face in the implementation of this project in your setting are overcome as smoothly and effectively as possible.
In addition, we have developed the following training portfolios for schools and companies to meet their unique needs:
For schools
Our training gives teachers and support staff practical ways to promote good mental health among pupils. We also deliver fun, interactive workshops for pupils to improve their mental health. All training and projects can fit around your timetable and meet your specific needs.
We help companies to create healthy, happy teams. We offer a range of solutions, including fun, fitness based sessions, lunch and learn workshops and consultancy to embed wellbeing in your organisation.
Henry joined OTR in 2015 having spent time working in community development for Terrence Higgins Trust. An activist and passionate advocate for LGBTQ+ rights, Henry has a degree in sociology and is also a member of the Independent Advisory Group for Avon & Somerset Police. He oversees all our work on gender and sexual diversity here at OTR.
Cat is a registered Occupational Therapist with training and skills in Positive Psychology and Brief Solution Focussed Therapy. Cat began her working life in the NHS, including in the adult mental health crisis team for Bristol. She is an experienced trainer and consultant in a wide variety of areas of mental health and has also developed a successful business focused on mental wellbeing, providing coaching and personal training among other services to her clients.
John McGuirk
John was an integral part of OTR between 2010 and 2019, most recently overseeing our therapeutic service, which offers a wide range of 1:1 and group therapies to thousands of young people each year. John is an accredited therapist and supervisor with post-grad CBT training.
Anything you talk about with one of our team is kept totally private within OTR. We won’t share what you tell us with anyone else. But if there was an extreme situation, like if you or someone else was at risk of being seriously hurt, then we would need to break confidentiality to keep you safe.
If this happened we would discuss it with you first and do our best to make sure you were involved in any decisions that have to be made. We know this can be scary and you might not want us to share anything, but we will support you through the whole thing.
