FAQ
Trainer Questions
How do you become a trainer? What is the criteria?
To become a trainer for The Working Mind (TWM), you must successfully complete a 5 day Train-the-Trainer (TTT) course. To become a trainer for The Inquiring Mind (TIM), you must successfully complete a 3 day Train-the-Trainer (TTT) course.
Trainers must complete the training for the program that they wish to deliver (either TWM or TIM). If you wish to be a trainer for more than one program, you must be certified in all programs that you hope to deliver. To do so, you must complete either the 5 day TTT for TWM or the 3 day TTT for TIM followed by a one day cross-training course per program.
When selecting trainers, we look for those who are:
- comfortable with presenting and discussing various material related to mental health;
- interested in mental health and well-being, with a sense of commitment to the cause of reducing stigma;
- experienced in facilitating training courses and/or adult education, with an ability to manage questions in training;
- have knowledge/understanding/awareness of workplace issues related to mental illness; and
- found to be trustworthy and respected by their peers as both an informal and/or formal leader.
It may still be possible for you to take the trainer course even if you do not meet all of the above criteria. If you are interested in becoming a trainer please contact us to discuss the available opportunities.
What are the requirements for trainers to maintain their training certification?
In order to maintain your certification as a trainer, you must deliver two courses per year, based on your certification month for the program that you are certified in. If a trainer is certified in TWM and TIM, they must deliver a minimum of two courses from each program per anniversary year, beginning on the anniversary month (total of four courses per year).
What is covered in the Train-the-Trainer course?
The Train-the-Trainer course is taught by Master Trainers and includes:
- an overview of the key concepts of mental health in the workplace. Participants learn about each concept and are given the opportunity to practice teaching the material to each other;
- an in-depth understanding of the background on which the program is based, enabling a solid grounding in mental health to answer questions participants may encounter during delivery of the course to their organizations;
- structured presentation practice time; and
- evaluation of presentation skills by Master Trainers
As a trainer, how can I access the training materials?
Once a course is scheduled, we will provide the site coordinator with all of the materials that are required to deliver the course. The site coordinator is responsible for ensuring that the trainers have access to the course materials on-site for the day of the training. All materials are available online in the trainer portal.
Who are trainers allowed to train?
Trainers are permitted to train other staff within their own organizations as long as they maintain their certification and their organization has an active licensing agreement with MHCC.
In some instances, as needs arise, MHCC may contract trainers to deliver training outside of their own organization to other organizations who do not have their own trainers. Trainers are only permitted to train outside of their own organizations at the request of MHCC and are not permitted to run programs independently.
Program Questions
What are the differences between The Working Mind (TWM) and The Inquiring Mind (TIM)?
TWM and TIM are similar programs and share the same core components. Both have the goals of reducing stigma, increasing resiliency, promoting mental health, and developing coping strategies.
TWM is for the general workforce and contains videos and scenarios that are more suitable for that environment.
TIM is for students in a post-secondary setting and features interactive activities and group discussions, as well as a set of scenarios for participants to work through.
What is the difference between the 3.5 hour student / 4 hour employee (TWM) course and the 8 hour manager (TWM) course?
The student, primary/employee course includes:
- a focus on dispelling the myths of mental health problems and mental illnesses, and reducing their associated stigma;
- an overview of the Mental Health Continuum Model;
- self-assessment of one’s own mental health along the continuum;
- strategies one can apply at each point along the continuum.
In addition to the above, the leadership/manager course includes:
- workplace accommodations and return to work (TWM only);
- how to observe changes in employees along the continuum;
- appropriate actions to take with your employees along each stage of the continuum;
- how to communicate with employees about mental health illness in a workplace context.
What are the class sizes and how many trainers are there per class?
Typical classes should range from 16 to 24 participants.
The 3.5 hour student and the 4 hour employee courses can be taught by one trainer whereas the 8 hour manager course should be taught by two trainers.
Small class sizes are available for 8-15 participants.
What are the various course adaptations that are available? What to do if I’m looking for an adaptation that doesn’t exist yet?
At this time, adaptations have been developed for police, fire, paramedic, 911 operators, and correctional workers.
We are currently working on adaptations for Healthcare, families, and recruits.
If you are interested in working with us to create an adaptation specific to your workplace setting, please contact us to discuss.
Post-delivery Questions
How do participants receive their certificate and reference materials?
Participant email addresses are required in order for participants to receive post-course materials. Following successful completion of a course, attendees will receive an email containing a link to the participant reference guide, a link to a feedback survey and their certificate of participation.
How do I submit the participant list?
Upon completing a course, trainers must provide us with an electronic attendance sheet, using the provided template, within 2 business days of the course ending. The link to the online form is provided to the site coordinator and is unique to each organization. Any other formats, including scanned PDF copies, are not permitted. In some instances, a site coordinator may be responsible for providing participant information to us. In these cases, it is the trainer's responsibility to ensure that the information be provided to the site coordinator, in a timely manner.
What do I do if I haven’t received my materials?
If you haven’t received your materials and it’s been more than a week since your training, please contact your site coordinator.
Invoicing/Contract Questions
Our licensing agreement is for 2 years. What happens after that?
Generally speaking, organizations sign two year licensing agreements with us during which their trainers can deliver unlimited courses to their employees. At the end of the agreement, if your organization wishes to continue training its employees, you must sign a new agreement with us and pay the licensing fee.
When will we receive the invoice? How do we pay?
For Train-the-trainer and direct deliveries, an invoice for 50% of the total fee will be issued to you immediately following signing of the contract. An invoice for the remaining 50% will be issued immediately following the delivery of the training.
For organizations who pay participant fees, invoices will be issued monthly (no invoices will be issued if no training has occurred within a month).
All invoices must be paid within 30 days and can be paid by cheque or credit card.