loading… As frontline workers, we spend a lot of time with people who are feeling anxious or angry, or depressed, helpless, hopeless and perhaps suicidal. So what effect might this be having on each of us? In this month’s blog, Abby Perrins (reflective practice facilitator, psychotherapeutic counsellor and BHT Sussex trainer) talks to BHT Training about the importance of looking …
loading… Despite a loud chorus of pleas to the Chancellor, this April’s benefit uprating effectively imposes the largest real ‘cuts’ in benefit income for decades. This is because inflation and the cost of living are running at over double the 3.1% increase in benefit rates that took place this week. The rates of local housing allowance (LHA) are still frozen, …
loading… Following ‘Freedom Day’ and the lessening of coronavirus-related restrictions, the DWP is losing no time in establishing a business-as-usual energy to benefits administration. This resumption of the way things used to be will have substantial consequences for your clients, and so it’s vital that you are up to date with what’s going on in the world of Universal Credit. …
loading… Following months of speculation, there have been some benefit changes in the recent budget announcements. We now know what’s happening with important issues such as the uplift in Universal Credit (UC), lump sum payments for tax credit claimants, changes for people getting the Severe Disability Premium, and likely changes following recent court decisions. As always with benefits, headlines are …
loading… After delivering in-person training to the community and voluntary sector for over 20 years, it was very daunting to face the challenge of taking all of my training workshops online at the start of the pandemic. I had never attended a webinar let alone delivered one and I had grave doubts about how well a webinar could meet participants’ …
loading… Whilst we hope one day to return to face-to-face training, we are very excited to launch our new online training programme. COVID-19 has had a significant impact on the sector and the way we work. Alongside the challenges of keeping staff and clients safe, the pandemic has brought about considerable change to the way we support and communicate with …
loading… We all have mental health in the same way that we all have physical health and the state of our mental health changes in response to a number of influences and factors. Awareness of mental health has risen in recent years. More people are talking about it than ever before and the media are frequently running stories on the …
loading… BHT and I are putting on another course dealing with this tricky subject as so many local service users claim benefits on these grounds. This is reflected across the country, with growing numbers of Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment claims being made due to mental health issues. Many people make a causal link, arguing that the …
loading… In BHT Training’s latest blog, anxiety sufferer and BHT trainer, Paul Johanson explains how mindfulness can be a powerful tool to combat mental illness. Anxiety is the most commonly reported mental health difficulty: statistics show that anxiety-related problems occur at roughly three times the rate of depression-related problems. ‘Anxiety’ is the most commonly searched term on counselling websites such …
loading… There’s often one in most teams or organisations, the person who you just can’t seem to reach, the person who can have a negative impact on not only you, but the rest of the team. Performance management makes up a significant part of a manager’s role, but can also be one of the most stressful parts of managing a …
loading… In BHT Training’s latest blog, benefits guru and BHT trainer Jayne Knights brings you up to speed with the major news to affect all things welfare benefits-related. There is always a lively debate regarding welfare benefits, not least during an election campaign. Changes to benefit entitlement and provision has had a major impact on the lives on many people …
loading… BHT’s transgender awareness trainer Ryan Gingell blogs about the challenges faced by the trans community, and how a relatively simple change can make a huge difference to people’s lives We all have some experience of gender regardless of what path our gender identity takes. For most, this is a straight forward journey with few hurdles to overcome. But for …
loading… For our upcoming Supporting People with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) training course, we worked with someone who lives with and manages the condition. Janette has agreed to blog about her experiences, from her initial diagnosis to how she makes sense of her behaviours. In 1992 I was told I had a Borderline Personality disorder. “Are you telling me I …
loading… The world of benefits never stands still… and so within a few days of the appointment of the new Prime Minister, we were introduced to the third Secretary of State for the Department for Work & Pensions since the start of the year. BHT’s benefits trainer Jayne Knights brings you up to speed with the major news to affect all …
loading… Stress has been defined as: The adverse reaction that people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed upon them. Health and Safety Executive BHT has worked with our mental health trainer Alex Langridge to develop a new Managing Stress in the Workplace for Managers course. In our blog, Alex talks about the importance of preventative strategies …
loading… Three years after the first Universal Credit claims went live, this new benefit is as controversial as ever. BHT’s benefits trainer Jayne Knights explains both the positives, and the criticism for, Universal Credit. Stephen Crabb has made it very clear that he has no plans for any slowing down of the rollout of Universal Credit, and the focus is …
loading… BHT’s substance misuse trainer Scott Henery talks about the main effects drugs have on the brain’s chemistry. Scott will be running Advanced Alcohol & Substance Misuse training on 23 & 24 June, where you kind find out more about neuropharmacology, how all the key drugs work and how dependence and withdrawal are likely to occur. We’ve seen how drugs …
loading… BHT’s substance misuse trainer Scott Henery shares some of the common misconceptions about Dual Diagnosis, as well as some facts you may not be aware of. All answers are at the bottom of the page. Book onto BHT’s Dual Diagnosis training on 21 & 22 April where these answers will be explored more fully. 1. Cannabis causes psychotic illness Myth …
loading… With Universal Credit is now in place throughout the country, technical glitches and rent arrears will start to affect your clients. Welfare and Benefits trainer Jayne Knights asks: are you prepared? “In my last blog, I wrote about this being an exciting time to be a benefits trainer, and even though I’ve now been in benefits world for over …
loading… ITEP and Node-Link Mapping and Abstinence and Integrated Recovery trainer Scott Henery explains how ITEP works, and how it is changing lives: The International Treatment Effectiveness Project – or ITEP for short – has one simple aim for clients on a substance misuse pathway: to improve treatment effectiveness by making the delivery of psychosocial interventions easier and clearer, and …
loading… Standing in front of people and presenting information and ideas isn’t always easy. Presenting with Confidence trainer Sally Hale shares her top tips for delivering presentations: One of my first contracts as a newly self-employed trainer was a series of Presentation Skills training courses for Westminster City Council. This was 22 years ago. Since then, I’ve regularly been asked …
loading… By virtue of their name, volunteers are essential to the voluntary sector. But what can we do to support them so they feel valued and ultimately want to continue volunteering with us? We must get to know them, as Supporting Volunteers trainer Ruth Mason explains: Volunteers come and volunteers go. We must accept this fact, however frustrating it can …
loading… In this technological age, demands on our time are getting increasingly stressful. But could slowing things down and doing less actually make our work more productive? Mindfulness at Work trainer Gill Hasson explains: There is more to life than increasing its speed So said Ghandi. Technological inventions are continually saving you time; your car gets you there quicker than …
loading… With eating disorders on the rise in both women and men, BHT Training set out to dispel some of the myths associated with these serious conditions. We sat down with Understanding Eating Disorders trainer Sam Thomas to ask some of those difficult questions. 1. What is meant by the term ‘eating disorder’? By definition, eating disorders are coping mechanisms …
loading… As Universal Credit sweeps the land and the General Election looms, BHT Training’s benefits trainer Jayne Knights discusses how clients will gain in confidence when their workers have a better understanding of the benefits system… It’s quite an exciting time to be a benefits trainer. I’m aware that sentence may make most people fall about laughing, as the last …