Module to support organisations in Scotland to recognise and respond to distress
Published: 23 June 2023
A new ground-breaking e-learning module, designed and developed by the University of Glasgow and funded by the Scottish Government, is being launched to enable and empower organisations and people from across Scotland to provide a compassionate and effective response to people in distress.
A new ground-breaking e-learning module, designed and developed by the University of Glasgow and funded by the Scottish Government, is being launched to enable and empower organisations and people from across Scotland to provide a compassionate and effective response to people in distress.
The module, entitled ‘Recognising and Responding to Distress’, was developed as part of a package of work to improve the response to people in distress, supported by £108K from the Scottish Government’s Recovery and Renewal Programme.
Aimed at people from a wide range of organisations who, as part of their job, may have contact with people experiencing distress, the module covers important areas such as recognising and making sense of distress and the tools to help someone manage their distress. The content also focuses on key gateways to information and support, together with information about helping people to access that support.
Building on key learnings from the Scottish Government’s Distress Brief Intervention Programme as well as a review of the existing evidence, the module was produced together with the valuable support of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Victim Support Scotland and Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH). The content was also designed to complement the range of mental health and wellbeing resources produced by NHS Education for Scotland (NES) and Public Health Scotland.
Professor Rory O’Connor from the University of Glasgow’s School of Health & Wellbeing and President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention, who co-led the design and development of the module with his team, said: “We’re excited to launch the module which is designed to be suitable for people from a variety of different organisations who may have contact with people experiencing distress as part of their work role.
“The sooner we recognise distress, the faster people can get the help and support that they need. We hope the module helps people feel supported and get the help they need when they need it.”
Mental Wellbeing Minister Maree Todd said: “I am pleased to see Scottish Government funding used to develop a learning module that could help save lives.
“In the course of their daily duties, many organisations encounter people experiencing emotional distress, which can be caused by a wide range of factors in their lives. Recognising and Responding to Distress will help organisations give more focussed, compassionate and practical support to people showing distress. This complements existing programmes of support which we already have in place with our partners, including the Distress Brief Intervention programme.”
Kevin O’Neill, Scottish Government National Distress Brief Intervention (DBI) Programme Manager, said: “I have been contacted by many organisations, who support people in distress and are looking to benefit from all the learning gained through the DBI programme since 2016. We have listened, and as a result, RR2D will mean that more organisations from across Scotland will deliver compassionate, informed support and more people in distress will experience this support.”
Kate Wallace, chief executive of Victim Support Scotland said: “We see every day the traumatic effects that crime has on people, and on their wellbeing and mental health in particular. The University of Glasgow’s Recognising and Responding to Distress Module acknowledges this impact and offers our staff and volunteers further victim-centred and trauma-responsive tools, skills and techniques all designed to enhance the support offered to people affected by crime.”
A spokesperson for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said: “Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) are delighted to have worked in collaboration with the University of Glasgow in the development of this module; an invaluable learning resource that has strengthened our organisational capability to recognise and respond to distress across the Service and in the communities we serve.”
A spokesperson for the Mental Health Improvement and Prevention of Suicide and Self-Harm Team, NHS Education for Scotland (NES) team, said: "We think that the University of Glasgow’s and NES/PHS' suicide prevention education resources complement each other by bringing together the theory and translation to practice and will work well together."
Enquiries: ali.howard@glasgow.ac.uk or elizabeth.mcmeekin@glasgow.ac.uk / 0141 330 6557 or 0141 330 4831
First published: 23 June 2023
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