Confident Conversations: Supporting the emotional wellbeing of people living with long-term conditions
Explore the impact that being chronically ill can have on mental health and gain the skills to help you provide better support.
610 enrolled on this course
Duration
2 weeksWeekly study
2 hours100% online
How it works
Confident Conversations: Supporting the emotional wellbeing of people living with long-term conditions
Learn how to make a positive different to those living with long-term conditions
Living with a long-term condition (LTC) that causes pain, discomfort, and uncertainty doesn’t only impact our physical health, but our mental health too.
On this two-week course, you’ll gain first-hand insights from people living with a chronic condition to help you develop your empathy, understanding, and skills to make a difference.
With this knowledge, you’ll be able to improve your relationships and better support those with an LTC, whether this is in your professional or personal life.
Boost your conversation skills to improve your support
You’ll start by unpacking the different risk factors that make people with an LTC more likely to experience mental health problems, such as uneven healthcare provision.
Next, you’ll discover the barriers to having confident conversations about mental health. Through this exploration, you’ll develop your understanding of how you can work to mitigate against these barriers.
Understand mindful communication to develop your interpersonal skills
To further your conversation skills, you’ll unpack the principles of mindful communication, active listening, and how to signpost for further support.
This exercise will help you develop your interpersonal skills and be able to create the right environment for confident conversations.
Learn from the experts at the Mental Health Foundation
Throughout the course, you’ll be guided by the specialists from the Mental Health Foundation, one of the UK’s leading mental health charities. What’s more, you’ll hear directly from people living with a long-term condition to ensure you learn from those with lived experience.
By the end, you’ll have the knowledge and skills to treat and support the whole person, not just their physical condition.
Syllabus
Week 1
Developing understanding
Introduction
Welcome to the course! In this first activity, we will introduce ourselves and the context behind this course.
The emotional load of living with a long-term condition
In this activity, we will unpack some of the feelings and emotional challenges experienced by people living with long-term conditions.
The physical load of living with a long-term condition
In this activity we will look at some common physical symptoms of long-term conditions and how they affect mental health.
Wider societal influences on mental health
No person is an island - we exist within the context of a broad society, and its policies, politics and practices will influence our mental health. In this activity, we will explore some of these factors.
The difficulties of managing mental health when living with a long-term condition
Our mental health needs to be proactively managed if we want to stay well, especially so when dealing with adversity. In this activity we will explore some of the barriers to self-care for people living with long-term conditions.
Applying what we've learned so far
In this activity, we will put together what we have learned so far about the risk factors and protective factors for mental health through a worked scenario.
Week 2
Developing listening skills
Overcoming barriers to talking about mental health
Broaching the topic of mental health is becoming easier as we shift our culture and normalise these conversations, however much stigma around mental health remains which we will explore in this activity.
Preparing to talk
In this activity we will look at some key considerations to bear in mind when preparing to connect with a person about their mental health.
Listening and responding well
In this activity, we will look at some principles of mindful communication and listening practices which everyone can apply when supporting a person with a long-term condition.
Common pitfalls to avoid
In this activity, we will unpack some of the less helpful responses we might give when responding to a person who is opening up and what we can try instead.
Safeguarding
In this activity, we will look at how to respond and support people who may be at risk of harming themselves and others when struggling with poor mental health.
Putting it all together
In this activity, we will share some closing thoughts on supporting others then move on to reviewing and consolidating our learning and making pledges for changes we can make in the future.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Available now
Learning on this course
On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.
What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...
- Explore the risk factors for poor mental health amongst people with a long-term condition.
- Recognise the benefits of conversations for improving mental health and wellbeing.
- Considering the barriers to effective communication.
- Practising the interpersonal skills of mindful communication, active listening and signposting for further support.
Who is the course for?
This course is designed for anyone in contact with someone living with a long-term condition.
You could be a healthcare professional such as occupational therapist, GP, or physiotherapist. Alternatively, you could be a colleague, friend, or family member of someone living with a long-term condition.
Who will you learn with?
I work in the programmes team at the Mental Health Foundation, delivering online education projects so that people are empowered to look after their mental health and the mental health of others.
I'm a Programme Manager at the Mental Health Foundation, with a background in health and social care. I oversee our online learning as well as our work to improve mental health in educational settings
Who developed the course?
Mental Health Foundation
The Foundation works to prevent mental health problems. We drive change towards a mentally healthy society for all, and support communities, families and individuals to live mentally healthier lives, with a particular focus on those at greatest risk. The Foundation is the home of Mental Health Awareness Week.
Ways to learn | Buy this course | Subscribe & save | Limited access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Choose the best way to learn for you! | $109/one-off payment | $349.99 for one year Automatically renews | Free |
| Fulfill your current learning need | Develop skills to further your career | Sample the course materials | |
| Access to this course | tick | tick | Access expires 11 May 2024 |
| Access to 1,000+ courses | cross | tick | cross |
| Learn at your own pace | tick | tick | cross |
| Discuss your learning in comments | tick | tick | tick |
| Certificate when you're eligible | Printed and digital | Digital only | cross |
Cancel for free anytime |
Ways to learn
Choose the best way to learn for you!
Subscribe & save
$349.99 for one year
Automatically renews
Develop skills to further your career
- Access to this course
- Access to 1,000+ courses
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Digital certificate when you're eligible
Cancel for free anytime
Buy this course
$109/one-off payment
Fulfill your current learning need
- Access to this course
- Learn at your own pace
- Discuss your learning in comments
- Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible
Limited access
Free
Sample the course materials
- Access expires 11 May 2024
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades) | |||
Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)
Learning on FutureLearn
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- Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
- Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores
Join a global classroom
- Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
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Map your progress
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- Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
- Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate
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