As a sports coach, personal trainer or instructor, you will already know that caring for our physical health comes with so many mental health benefits. Unfortunately for those living with a mental health issue, accessing these benefits through exercise can feel scary, overwhelming and trigger memories of past negative experiences.

This one-of-a-kind course was developed by Mind with support from Sports Coach UK, the sport and physical activity sector and people living with mental health problems, to address how practitioners can identify key ingredients for improving services, remove barriers and make physical activity appealing to anyone with a mental health problem.

This course is also designed to help you think of practical ways to offer support and signposting to clients and customer who may be experiencing poor mental health.

Learning outcomes:

• Understand common perceptions and misconceptions about mental health including the positive impact of sport and physical activity on physical and mental health
• Appreciate the barriers that people living with mental health problems can experience when taking up a sport or physical activity
• Be aware of how stigma and discrimination surrounding mental health impacts on people living with mental health problems
• Identify practical actions that you can take to create a positive sporting environment that is more inclusive and accessible to people with mental health problems
• Feel more confident to talk about mental and know where to signpost people if they need support
• Develop an action plan to embed practices into your organisation.