Mental health training and mortgage advice

Financial wellbeing has been at the core of everything we have tried to do as a mortgage business. Doing the Mental Health first aider course was something that we felt was important not only for ourselves personally as business owners but to be able to help our clients in whatever vulnerable situation they find themselves in. We're likely to see far more people struggling with their mental health in the months ahead and so it's really important. This has led to Michelle, the other director at Verve Financial, winning an award this year for vulnerable client care because of what we have done as a business, whether that has been working with a local charity to support abuse victims, or doing financial education talks to new recruits in the armed forces.

It's no secret that in this economic climate, we are encountering, and will continue to encounter, clients with serious worries and concerns. Therefore we need to make sure we are equipped to handle those as best we can. Mental Health is so important to myself and many of my team for so many reasons and I'm sure this is shared across the industry as well as our clients. Identifying an issue early could help significantly and this is why I personally will be undertaking the right training in this area ahead of what could be a long and painful recession ahead.

I personally am a mental health first aider. The reason for this is that, as brokers, we do find ourselves being part-broker part-counsellor at times. Purchasing a home can be a very emotional and stressful time, and the training I've undertaken helps me to identify that and assist our clients accordingly. We are more than just mortgage brokers, especially in the current economic climate.

This is so important even before the tricky times we are currently in. I speak with so many clients who are going through a divorce, a bereavement or other difficulties and it's important that we can support these clients in a sensitive and professional manner. Mental health training allows me to identify where a client might need some additional support. While I have to be very clear that I'm not a counsellor and my main objective is to give my clients solid advice on their finances, you can't ignore the fact that finances and mental health are so intertwined.

Patricia McGirr, who runs our Distressed Debt desk, is a former Mental Health Nurse who previously spent 15 years specialising in addictions and trauma. Having advised on and led numerous large public sector partnerships, she learned how to navigate policy and compliance. Integrating different political, financial and social agendas to achieve a single goal was a key requirement. Her background has enabled her to really understand and connect with people’s needs and, coupled with her experience in strategic planning and consulting, she’s able to create solutions that work for them. We knew we needed a desk to focus on this area given the impending recession three months ago, and the desk has been mostly built around Patricia's skills and knowledge.