Mental Health Training for Managers - A Practical Guide to Getting Started

Mental Health Training for Managers: A Practical Guide

If you're tasked with arranging mental health training for managers within your organisation but are unsure about where to start or what to include in that mental health training, then this guide has been designed for you!

We have trained hundreds of managers all across the globe in how to manage mental health within their teams and share these insights to give you clarity and the key components to consider when designing your mental health training for managers programme.

Why Do Managers Need Mental Health Training?

Put simply, mental health training for managers is about giving your managers a greater understanding of the human psyche. It's about helping them understand cause and effect—learning what takes a team member from being okay to not being okay, and how to recognise the signs someone is struggling with their mental health.

It’s also about helping managers understand the difference between a team member having a not-so-good day (because we all have those!) and something that is classed as a mental health condition.

The Human Experience vs. Mental Health Conditions

People go through life events—what I refer to as human experiences. These can be anything from a bereavement, a health condition, or personal issues involving children or relationships, like going through a divorce. These life events have the potential to impact us, affecting how we show up mentally, physically, and emotionally.

So it's important that managers know the difference between people going through life events versus something considered a mental health condition.

Understanding the Mental Health Spectrum

The mental health spectrum is vast. On one end, we have stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression. On the other end, we have more complex conditions such as schizophrenia, psychosis, and multiple personality disorder.

If you’re organising mental health training and are unsure how much of this spectrum to cover, here’s some advice:

• Don’t try to cover everything.

• Managers don’t need to be experts in every condition.

• Focus on relevance and what your managers are most likely to encounter.

Mental health training for managers is not about turning them into therapists; it’s about giving them a foundation to recognise when someone needs support and how to respond appropriately.

Going Beyond Labels: Recognising the Nuances

Each mental health condition exists on its own spectrum. Take anxiety, for example—it fluctuates. Some days are easier to manage than others.

When designing your training, it’s not about teaching managers every detail, but helping them move beyond the label. Let them understand the lived experience of their team members—and remind them that not all stress or anxiety is created equal.

Think about a scale of 0 to 10. Some people might be functioning at a 3, others at a 9. Their coping mechanisms, their mindset, and their level of self-awareness will vary. Helping managers understand that difference is what makes the training impactful.

What to Include in Your Training Content

Here’s a quick overview of what to focus on:

• Stress and burnout (including neuroscience of stress)

• Anxiety (what it is, cause and effect, basic types—trauma-related, social anxiety, phobias)

• Depression and bipolar (include if it’s showing up in your data)

• Addiction (if relevant to your employee base)

• Manager mindset (many realise they themselves are in a stress response!)

Focus on what your managers are most likely to face—not every possibility.

Should You Include Suicide Awareness?

This is a sensitive and important question. Tragically, some organisations have faced suicide in the workplace.

That said, we do not recommend including suicide within general mental health training. Suicide training is a specialist topic. It can be emotionally overwhelming. If you want to address it, create a standalone module once your managers have the foundations in place.

Structuring Your Mental Health Training

How long should the training be? That depends on:

• Number of managers

• Available budget

• Time constraints

You might have 1,000+ managers, so taking everyone off-site for a day isn’t always practical. Consider pre-recorded content as a supplemental or on-demand resource.

We find that what works well when delivering mental health awareness training online is to break the training into modules of 90 minutes to 2 hours each.  We deliver this training once a week or in a series of 3 to 4 weeks.  This allows managers to put into practice what they are learning and come back the following week to reflect on their actions. 

Focus on practical skills:

• Deep listening

• Asking better questions

• Creating psychological safety

• Navigating tough conversations

If you’ve already covered coaching or listening in a previous initiative, go deeper into mental health. Tailor the content to what your organisation needs now.

Should You Cover Employment Law?

In some countries, yes.

• In the UK: The Equality Act 2010

• In the US: The Americans with Disabilities Act

It’s important that managers understand what their legal responsibilities are—especially when it comes to reasonable adjustments or managing employee absence due to mental health.

Final Thoughts

Mental health training for managers should focus on common conditions like stress, burnout, and anxiety—equipping leaders to spot signs and offer meaningful support.

This guide has provided an overview of the key aspects of mental health training for managers. The most important thing is that it’s relevant, digestible, and actionable.

Don’t overwhelm your managers. Give them tools they can use. Keep it grounded in the human experience. And above all—start with empathy.

📘 Want More Support Designing Your Training?

Download our free guide to Mental Health Training for Managers, packed with questions, prompts, and structure to help you build a mental health training programme that lands.

👉 Download the free mental health training for managers e-book now and create a high-impact training programme that supports your people and your organisation.