North Staffs Users Group

working for better mental health services for the people of North Staffordshire

User Trainers

"User Trainers" are users of mental health services who offer training to Nurses, to Student Police Officers, and other people with an interest in mental health
they help people to understand what it is like to cope with a mental health problem. They also help people to see how their services might be made more helpful and acceptable to users
supported by Paid Staff
travelling expenses are paid on the day
other expenses may be met by negotiation with the Director.

User Trainers work in small groups of three or four people, either at the Dudson Centre or in the work-settings of the people who are being trained
run short training events for people whose work brings them into contact with people coping with Mental Health problems. We have offered training to nurses, the Police and to various voluntary organisations
no one works on their own and so are constantly supported in their work. Volunteers are briefed before working sessions, supported during them and debriefed afterwards
Occasional training sessions for the volunteers will take place throughout the year
You will get the support of paid staff in preparing for the training sessions, in actually carrying them out, and in "debriefing" on the training once it has been done. User Trainers also support each other, so that no one feels overburdened by the work or just left to cope with it.

Core Training
User Trainer – a short, two-day course that will develop the skills necessary to help you to become a good trainer. The course gives you the confidence to speak in front of others and will help you to become familiar with the materials that we use.

the work can be fairly infrequent, but then we can get a flurry of requests for training. This varies from two-hour to full day sessions.
for each training event, the team will usually meet once or twice in advance, to sort out what the programme will be like and who does what
one evaluation meeting after the training event.

NSUG address:
North Staffs Users Group
The Dudson Centre,
Hope Street,
Hanley,
Stoke on Trent
ST1 5DD

NSUG telephone:
01782-683043