Interview with a Mental Health First Aider, Melanie
For Suicide Awareness Day 2020, we caught up with Melanie Alveranga, the Lead Clinical Perfusionist and Mental Health First Aider at St Bartholomew’s Hospital.
I am a lead Clinical Perfusionist working in cardiac theatres at SBH. I have always had an interest in wellbeing and in particular staff wellbeing especially in theatres which is a non-public facing environment. A few years ago, I completed a MSc in occupational/organisational psychology and my thesis was focused on wellbeing. That research really opened my eyes as to how different factors, even small things, made an impact on people’s wellbeing. As I continued to develop my wellness coaching practice, I received a trust email bulletin which was seeking interested parties to apply to become a mental health first aider. I immediately knew this would be the perfect initiative to create a safe space to get people to open up about their mental health. So, I embarked on the training course.
In a few months I will have completed the train the trainer course. I am excited to become a trainer. I think my coaching skills will be beneficial as a trainer, as I enjoy using my own knowledge base and experience to develop others. Also, my clinical background will enable me to relate job-based pressures and their impact on wellbeing, with the course participants. My exposure to different parts of the trust may help attract participants from across the organisation. This will allow the trust to have more mental health first aiders on board to enable most areas to have a MHFA to talk to and signpost people if required.
Melanie Alveranga
Lead Clinical Perfusionist
Wellbeing and Safety MHFA