'Why travel needs more mental health first aiders'

It’s a good visualisation tool, which Alastair Campbell tested when he explored alternative treatments for his depression for a BBC documentary.

The other thing you learn on the course is listening skills. Learning to listen is not something we’re formally taught. Learning to speak, write and read fluently are communications skills we take years to perfect though the school years. In contrast there is little or no formal training about how to listen, yet we use listening skills for 45% of our communication in day-to-day life.

Using real-life stories, the MHFA training gives you an insight to the vast spectrum of mental illnesses from depression to acute anxiety and eating disorders to psychosis. Those real-life stories help you understand the pain a person is going through so you’re able to recognise signs and approach the person sensitively, with dignity and respect.

The main thing to remember about MHFA training is that you are not there as a professional. Doctors and therapists have spent years studying, so they are best placed to prescribe treatment whether medical, talking therapy or self-help. Your role is to help approach the person, listen, offer advice and encourage them to seek the right professional help.

By doing the course I felt that my eyes were opened. Whilst I had some personal experience through supporting a close family member, I felt better equipped to use the right language, identify issues before they become a crisis and know what professional help is available to steer people towards.

Despite the huge strides that have been made in recent years though, there is still stigma attached to opening up about mental health. People who struggle fear they may be labelled high-maintenance, rude, unreliable or lazy.

I left the course feeling that if everyone in the workplace had a basic understanding of the trauma caused by being unwell, they would approach situations with more insight and compassion.

At Kuoni, I’m lucky to have an employer that continues to invest in this area. Through our partnership with Mind, all of us in the company are learning more all the time about how to raise awareness and offer support, but we know there is still a way to go.

Whatever the size or scale of your organisation, it’s never too late to start opening up the conversation about mental health, training yourself and a team and promoting a healthy approach to an issue which affects one in four people.

Rachel O’Reilly is head of communications at Der Touristik UK