What our participants say about us
Below are some of the many testimonials our participants leave after our training
“CoLiberate have made an uncomfortable topic as comfortable as possible. I will remember what they have taught me for the rest of my life.”
“Don’t think twice about attending this training! The course material is well thought through and the facilitators provide excellent guidance. If everyone had the chance to attend imagine how much better society would be.”
“I have always felt that I needed more information about how to approach a person in crisis. I wanted to be sure that I would not make things worse or say the wrong thing. This course has shown me through practical experiences how to safely recognise and respond to someone in crisis. The more people who know how to have these conversations and how to create a support plan, the safer our work places will be.” – Maire Bowler, Principal, Hornby Primary School,
“This was a well structured course with excellent presenters who complimented one another.It was a worthwhile experience at end of which I felt very confident that I should I be approached for support I would be able to offer that support in a professional manner.”
“As an HR professional and People Leader I highly recommend this training not only for your own ‘kete’ of knowledge but to help uplift organisational culture around supporting mental wellbeing which is becoming more and more vital in the world we live in.”
“The MHFR training with CoLiberate was incredibly helpful and gave me the skills and confidence to support my co-workers in a meaningful way.” – Ellen
“CoLiberate provide a supportive and engaging environment to work through some difficult topics. I highly recommend everyone do this training to be able to best support the people in all areas of your life.” – Participant
“This course was so engaging the whole way through! I learned so much and appreciated the mix of theory and practical scenarios.” – Akenehi Rebekah Johnson, Disability Support Worker, Thumbs Up Trust
“I feel this training will have a significant impact on my life, on how I operate in both a professional and personal setting when supporting mental health conversations. It was incredibly well-structured, and covered everything I needed covered in a clear, concise way, with plenty of space to discuss with and learn from others in the room. I felt super supported as an attendee to be in the space however I needed to be. Thank you so much.” – Stevie Hancox-Monk, Creative/Teacher, Silver Noodle Soup
“That we are all capable of being Mental Health first responders as long as this information is available to all who wish to do so. It gave me confidence to draw on my own experiences and those of others to know what to do. It helped me to be on the look out for signs within my social groups and work spaces. To be mindful of people struggling with mental health. I like the continuum idea a lot. It normalized my own experiences.” Madeline
“A really helpful course to take for when you recognise someone struggling whether it’s in your personal or work life, that you want to help.” – Lexi
“This course was very powerful and at times tested you. However, it is full of tools you can use to make a difference to people’s lives, how cool is that.” – Raymond Tuffin, Health and wellbeing Advance Care and Support, Community Connections
“It is highly beneficial for everyone dealing with people and their challenges.” Gareth
“The course was a fantastic and powerful experience. I now feel certain I can support people well in crisis, and ensure they can access the professional support they might need. As a Deaf and disabled participant, I was worried I would struggle with some of the activities and role-play, but the accessibilty support was brilliant throughout, and it has massively increased my confidence.” – Tee
“The CoLiberate MHFR course was so insightful and importantly fundamental to feel skilled and confident to support serious mental health crisis. In the short time I felt connected with the cohort and the facilitators held a safe and skilled space where I could share openly and felt validated.” – Kirstie
“This is a great training, I feel equipped to ask difficult questions as well as more comfortable to have honest conversations about mental health and how our experiences impact or ways of being in the world.” – Laura
“A well-presented training covering all the key areas needed for supporting people who may be struggling with mental health issues. Good mix of theory and practical and relevant to our particular group. A great day.” – Josephine
“I use a lot of mental health first response in my employment but this training has opened up possibilities of much more effective and supportive conversations in my peer support role as well as in my personal life. If everyone learnt these skills our world would be a much happier place.” – Jo
“I highly recommend this training. It helps us to recognise that we are all human, and we all struggle sometimes, and that’s okay. We all need support sometimes and conversely we can all be that person who can step up and help others. The course offers the tools to understand and recognise when someone is struggling, and teaches skills to reach out and support someone through the tough times. It helps us address the toughest of questions in a straight forward way so that we can move to the next step and get help for those that might really need it. Be courageous, be the change.”
“I cannot recommend more highly the two facilitators and the course content that has given the skills to be able to ask the difficult questions and provide support for someone that is experiencing mental health issues – I can prove this by putting my learnings into practice with a close family member no more than 18 hours after the training.”
“A fantastic course, delivered at a very good pace and leaves you feeling capable to help others needing help.” – Wouter
“This course will give you so much more confidence in supporting others who may be in distress whether they are your colleagues, friends or family. The skilled, knowledgeable facilitators make you feel comfortable and well-supported to engage with the serious content of the course. I highly recommend it!” – Helene
“This course is extremely beneficial in creating a supportive culture where people feel comfortable to talk about their mental health and confident in offering support to others. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to participate in the course and add these valuable tools to my kit.”
“This course delivered more than I expected, and I feel it is so valuable. We received training to help us reach out and check in, then practice these skills in a safe environment. So grateful that positive steps are being made to help all of us navigate mental health in our homes and communities.” – Wendy
“I feel much more confident in supporting people around me suffering with their mental health. It was empowering to do the role plays and understand more about how I could apply the tools in real life. Thank you!”
“The Mental Health First Response training was incredibly impactful. It tackled both personal and external barriers to providing support, which has greatly increased my confidence. I’ve applied what I learned to my role in health and safety and in my personal life as a friend and peer. The facilitators made the course engaging and easy to understand. I highly recommend this course—it’s a worthwhile investment that reveals just how much there is to learn.”
“I recently completed the Mental Health First Response training, and it was a transformative experience. The course provided me with practical tools and knowledge to better understand and support those struggling with mental health issues. The hands-on approach and real-life scenarios made the learning process engaging and impactful. I now feel more confident in recognising signs of mental distress and offering the right support when it’s needed most. This training is invaluable for anyone who wants to make a positive difference in their community. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to enhance their understanding of mental health and their ability to respond effectively.”
“I wasn’t sure what to expect when I first enrolled in this course, but I gained so many valuable learnings in just a few hours. I now feel a lot more confident and able to open up difficult conversations and I know what to do once I’ve opened the conversation. I feel I know how to support others, and myself. The facilitators and creators of the MHFR course have done (and are doing) incredible mahi in making and teaching a framework for something that feels enormous and far too nuanced. I can see why it works!”
“This was a really great training. I’ve done psychological first aid training before but this was by far the best because it gave you actionable and clear steps of what to do in both a crisis situation and how to navigate conversations with someone who many be struggling with their mental health. I appreciated the direct and clear teachings, and will be able to easily take them into real life situations.”
“Great participation course in a safe and supportive place.”
“Great course, beautifully handled by a fantastic team of facilitators. Well done.”
“The MHFR training was so clear and well delivered. The focus on supporting people to professional services helps the content to feel really accessible and doable – it’s clear that you’re not expected to diagnose people, but to identify risks and provide support. I now feel fully equipped to have challenging conversations that could be lifesaving”.
“It was a great course, showing an empathetic structured path to take when helping someone who is struggling.”
“Led by two incredibly skilled and empathetic facilitators, this training provided me with tangible tools to support the people around me. It hit a fine balance between theory, practice and shared experiences amongst participants. I can only greatly recommend the course to anyone who, one day, may have to provide wellbeing support at work, in their community, or their whānau – meaning “everyone!””.
“The workshop content and facilitation was excellent. It provided practical opportunities to practice and apply learning at each stage of the learning process. This helped to make the learning more accessible and I feel more confident supporting someone experiencing mental distress. I also valued the helpful insights about proactively checking in on colleagues, friends and family. Finally, it allowed me to consider my own mental well-being and reminding me the importance of being genuine when someone asks how you are feeling rather than simply saying “all good” etc and acknowledging when you might be finding things harder without feeling like you are complaining.”
“This training was thorough, easy to understand and well facilitated. All the content was helpful and interesting and the entire course was engaging with a mix of discussions and interactive activities. I would recommend this to anyone because mental health affects everyone”.
“This was an amazing training day. A lot was covered and some of it heavy stuff but it was delivered very smoothly, not rushed, very accommodating and made the scary stuff far less scary. I now feel far more comfortable/able to have these conversations. The facilitators were amazing and I genuinely have not had a better delivered workshop yet. Thank you guys”.
“Society has created a melting pot of expectations and that for many of us, those expectations can make life feel challenging at times. This training course allowed me to understand that I don’t need to provide a solution when someone comes to talk to me, rather I need to be there to listen, to validate, to understand and help them take the steps to be their own pilot in their journey of recovering”.
“This course was excellent – the trainers delivered this well and dealt with sensitive topics confidently. I feel much better equipped to support those around me”.
“This course provides some practical, real-life skills that we can use in many of our relationships, whether work, friends, family or helping others to support people in their lives. Like physical first aid, I recommend everyone have some knowledge and understanding of psychological support”.
“The team are wonderful and make dealing with some very difficult subjects not only achievable but even make it rewarding”.
The MFHR training was a great confidence builder and provided a bunch of information and frameworks for supporting the people I lead through any difficult times with their mental health. Our facilitators were excellent and managed to really effectively teach us some pretty heavy content in a kind and gentle way.
I recently attended Coliberate’s Mental Health First Response Training and I must say, it was an incredibly valuable experience. The trainers were knowledgeable, empathetic, and created a safe and comfortable space for everyone to share and learn. The training itself covered a wide range of topics related to mental health, including identifying warning signs, providing support, and connecting individuals to appropriate resources. What I appreciated most was the role play approach of the training – we were given scenarios and learned how to respond in a way that was both supportive and respectful – I also enjoyed how we were encouraged to move freely around the room encouraging us to change partners in rolle playing, this really supported a conformable space. This training has equipped me with the knowledge and skills to provide effective mental health support and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to make a difference in their community, workspace or whanu. Thank you, Coliberate!
Attending the MHFR course was such a valuable experience – I feel better equipped to identify when a colleague, family member or loved one is facing mental health challenges and to support them to get through it. The facilitators did a great job of making it a safe space to talk about the hard conversations and I feel far more empowered to show up for the people I care about in even more ways now.
I got a lot out of MHFR training and will be actively using the framework going forward
CoLiberate’s facilitator’s created a very safe and comfortable environment for us to explore and practice responses to mental health crises. Having a framework to call back to, and putting the skills in place bolstered my confidence in reaching out to help someone in need.
This course really helped me to feel more confident with my approach to mental health conversations, and gave me some new tools and understanding that will really help on my journey.
The team created a safe environment for us to learn and practice. Supportive and knowledgeable they provided great insights.
The skills and training allowed me to better understand my own mental health issues and be a support to others.
As someone who felt they had a decent grip on mental health experiences prior to attending, this training surprised me hugely and introduced new tools and techniques I’d not seen before when it comes to helping someone with their mental health/ someone experiencing a crisis.
Life-saving and life-enriching learning taught by highly skilled and engaging facilitators. I highly recommend this course.
“It was a great opportunity to get some practical tools and practice, and to gain more awareness of the how anyone can face challenges, and benefit from a support network”.
