Congratulations to Steven Berman and Kathy Costall for being first TWO learners to complete and pass the Level 4 Physical Activity for Mental Health.
Here is what they had to say about their experience:
It was 8pm, Sunday evening 5th December 2010, I was sitting in my car listening to the radio half way through a two hour trip from my home in Hertfordshire to Newport in South Wales. It was a rather hasty turn of events that went from a work colleague telling me about this new level 4 course, the first of its kind in the country, me expressing a very keen interest in attending, getting funding approved from my place of work, to sitting in my car on the way to Wales. The entire process took less than a week.
As I made my way up the stairs to the head office of Fitness Wales to begin my first day I began to feel extremely anxious (dry throat, palpitations, sweating, hyperventilating). This level of anxiety is not unusual for me. I often experience more than my fair share and it has often prevented me from doing many of the things I would actually really like to do. It’s probably because of this internalisation of all things negative that I have such an affinity for the mentally unwell. I really do feel for them, for their mental anguish and conflicts, their sense of isolation and frustration. And I suspect that it is because of this that I gravitated toward working as a mental health support worker and subsequently decided to combine this with health and fitness (my other passion). It has been nearly fifteen years since I first became involved in mental health work and over twenty five years since I first picked up a weight in a gym, and here I was finally making my way to the first ever course specialising in mental health and exercise.
At last there was a course that seemed to focus on the forgotten 1 in 4; the 1 in 4 of us who will, at some time or another, suffer with poor mental health. For some this becomes chronic and enduring, for others it will be transient, and for the rest of us it becomes an ever present shadow. This constant presence can often be ignored much like one stops hearing the train travelling past the bottom of the garden or the planes flying overhead. But it is always there. Mental illness is profoundly upsetting for the individual and family and friends, and is made all the more difficult to cope with by the stigma and ignorance that still surrounds it.
In the fitness world we have known for decades that a healthy body can also mean a healthy mind. I remember reading articles in bodybuilding magazines in the 1980’s about the positive mental impact of physical exercise. We intuitively know that exercise, used in the right way, can improve mood, self-esteem, confidence, we know this is to do with the endorphins (our feel good hormone). Yet we as fitness professionals have, so far, largely failed to preach the message that a healthy body can also mean a healthy mind.
For all these reasons I was genuinely excited as well as very anxious to be attending Fitness Wales’ Exercise and Mental Health Level 4. In the end my initial anxiety proved unwarranted as the course proved intelligent, well informed, and reaffirming. In an industry often driven by egos, performance, and body image, here is a course that (finally) focuses on anything but these stereotypes.
There is no doubt in my mind that this course offers a significant step forward in how we as fitness professionals manage our customer base. For all those instructors who really care about not only the customer’s mental health but their own, I would highly recommend signing up. For those instructors who are not particularly interested, I would ask the question; should you be in this industry at all! Steven Berman
I have been delivering exercise referral in Mid-Wales for 12 years. During this time, the medical conditions being presented by the participants are becoming more complex. Recently I have had the opportunity to train with various level 4 conditions such as Stroke, Cardiac, Back care and Falls. The Mental Health course was the first to discuss how working with more chronic conditions may affect us as instructors. The course covered details regarding the different mental conditions, how they may present and possible risks associated with the condition. It also asked “why?” Why is there such a stigma attached to this condition? Why do we feel the need to label individuals as ‘normal’ or ‘abnormal’?. I found that the relaxed atmosphere and pace of the course gave ample opportunity for informal discussions, encouraging the exploration of other people’s points of view. The structure of the course allows for the clinical information to be discussed alongside the spiritual theories.
The projects set for evaluation during the course were designed to allow the course participants to explore referral pathways and alternative therapies in their local area. For me this highlighted breakdowns in communication between the different professional agencies. Through research for the assessments, I have been able to establish long lasting links with these organisations to help encourage extra support for people suffering with a Mental Health condition. I feel that this course is an essential aspect to be considered for both general and specialised populations as everyone suffers with mental ill health at some time in their life. This could present itself as mild anxiety over beginning a new exercise programme, depression due to suffering from a chronic medical condition, or a chemical imbalance.
I can highly recommend this course, as it’s content, I feel, can help develop a more profound knowledge and understanding of a very complex disorder to which no-one is immune. Kathy Costall
