About
Meet Tracy
Certified Mental Health First Aid Trainer
Join Tracy and Open Minds Training: Transforming Lives Through Mental Health Education.
Hello, I’m Tracy, Director of Open Minds Training and Consultancy. My journey into mental health training began with a tragic experience—the loss of a young, talented individual to suicide. As the CEO of an organisation at the time, I realised I didn’t have the skills to support those around me. This led me to discover Mental Health First Aid (MHFA), and the training was truly life-changing.
My passion for mental health stems from my own lived experience. In my late teens, I developed an eating disorder that caused severe depression for me, affecting my education and limiting my life for many years. This experience and seeing how mental health has impacted those around me, has fuelled my commitment to help others and reduce the impact of mental illness.
Open Minds Mental Health was born from the desire to make mental health training accessible. After traveling over 100 miles for my MHFA training, I became determined to be able to share this training closer to home. Now, I offer accredited courses—both in-person and online—for individuals and organisations nationwide. Alongside my skilled and passionate team, we help businesses embed mental health awareness into their policies and procedures.
Training people from diverse sectors is a privilege. Whether you’re an individual seeking to understand mental health, a company aiming to support employees, or a community group wanting to make a difference, our courses can equip you with the skills to support your well-being and others’. This training not only saves lives but also breaks down the stigma surrounding mental illness.
In addition to MHFA, I’ve pursued further training in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and SFA (Suicide First Aid) to deepen my ability to support those affected by suicide. Volunteering with ‘Shout,’ a crisis text helpline, has further enriched my understanding and enhanced my effectiveness as a trainer.
Join me and the Open Minds Training team on this mission to change lives. Together, we can create a more empathetic, supportive world where mental health is understood and valued.
So please come and join me on my mission, I’d love to meet you.
What my clients say about me
What I found most valuable was the openness and honesty that Tracy led the course with, which enabled a relaxed environment and a safe space to learn, share and support. Having such an inspiring trainer really helped me to get the most out of the course and ensure the effectiveness wasn’t impacted by the fact that it was delivered online not in person.
Tracy was absolutely brilliant, so warm and welcoming and made it feel both safe to contribute and safe to just sit quietly if we didn’t want to share. Really enjoyed how interactive the course was.
Tracy was personable, empathetic and kind, she created a safe environment that generated an inviting atmosphere for people to talk openly and frankly. She has filled me with confidence even though I have been a nurse for 30+ years I have learnt new skills that I know I will use. I recommend everyone attends this course.
I found Tracy Sullivan’s excellent course life-changing! The course was very interactive and interesting. Tracy created a safe, non-judgemental and thought-provoking environment throughout. I feel much more aware of mental health now and more confident to support pupils, colleagues and friends, as well as myself and family. I’m also very keen to find out more from the extremely helpful resources given on the course.
What I found most valuable was the openness and honesty that Tracy led the course with, which enabled a relaxed environment and a safe space to learn, share and support. Having such an inspiring trainer really helped me to get the most out of the course and ensure the effectiveness wasn’t impacted by the fact that it was delivered online not in person.
What I found most valuable was the openness and honesty that Tracy led the course with, which enabled a relaxed environment and a safe space to learn, share and support. Having such an inspiring trainer really helped me to get the most out of the course and ensure the effectiveness wasn’t impacted by the fact that it was delivered online not in person.
Why invest in Mental Health First Aid training?
Wellbeing is good for business
Healthy people are happier, more engaged and more productive. Employers across the UK are acting now to support the wellbeing of their people and create mentally healthy businesses. Stress, anxiety and depression are the biggest cause of sickness absence in our society. Mental ill health is responsible for 91 million working days lost every year (Source: MHFA England).
Mental ill health costs UK employers
(Diagram adapted from Centre for Mental Health, 2017: Mental health at work: The business costs ten years on)
According to the Centre for Mental Health, simple steps to improve the management of mental health in the workplace will allow employers to save 30% or more of these costs – at least £10 billion a year. This is where we can help.
Diagram adapted from Centre for Mental Health, 2017: Mental health at work: The business costs ten years on)