Lifelong learning
Learning new skills can improve your mental wellbeing by boosting your self-confidence, help build a sense of purpose and connecting you with others.
Our courses are designed to support you with your awareness in topics that can improve your mental and physical health and range from short 60 or 90 minute workshops to three-day accredited courses.
All our training and awareness sessions are funded by Durham County Council and free to attend for anyone living or working in County Durham.
Our sessions provide you with the opportunity to increase your knowledge and skills in health improvement and community related subjects.
We are able to deliver our sessions in community venues, online, and we can come to you if you have a group of people who would like some training, even at your place of work.
We are also excited to be able to offer our awareness workshops and training in person or online, including evening sessions. All of our training and awareness sessions are funded by Durham County Council and are therefore free to attend for anyone living or working in County Durham.
Training
Our training courses are designed to provide practical skills and valuable insights into maintaining physical health, nurturing mental wellbeing, and building resilience. Whether you’re looking for guidance on stress management, nutrition, or mindfulness, our programs offer the tools to help you thrive in everyday life.
If you cannot see a course listed that you are interested in attending, please contact
cdda-tr.CBS@nhs.net.
An Insight into Menopause
The menopause is a natural part of ageing. In the UK, the average age for a woman to go through menopause is 51. Studies have shown that menopause symptoms can have a significant impact on attendance and performance in the workplace.
With our population now living longer, working longer, and with 3.5 million women over 50 in the workplace, it’s vital that staff are supported to stay well and thrive in the workplace.
Menopause is not just a female issue, it’s an organisational issue. All managers need to know about it and how they can support their staff. Awareness on this topic is fundamental and reducing the stigma attached to it is vital so that more people will talk openly about it.
This short course gives on overview of the menopause, signs, symptoms, treatment and survival!
Awareness of Energy Drinks and Caffeine
With the energy drinks market in the UK during 2021 being worth over £761 million, and younger people consuming these products we should be asking ourselves what is going into these products and what are they doing to our bodies. In this three hour session we will look at the difference between energy and sport drinks, find out what is the safe limit for caffeine, sugar and the other ingredients in these products?
The impact that caffeine and sugar in our drinks have on our health in both the short and long term.
A Mindful Approach to Stress Management
What is Pressure? Is it the same as Stress? Do you know how to recognise them and what you can do if you are feeling their effects? If you have asked yourself any of these questions before or are unsure of the answer, then this session could be a good place to start.
During the session you can explore what they mean to you, how to recognise the warning signs and how to minimise the negative effects associated with stress. You will be introduced to mindfulness, enabling you to start building on your own mindfulness based practises and how to use them to help ease pressure and manage or mitigate stress.
Assertiveness Skills
Assertiveness is the ability to communicate thoughts, feelings and ideas, both positive and negative, in an open and honest way, which does not abuse your rights or the rights of others.
Assertiveness is often wrongly confused with aggression. During this three hour session delegates will be able to recognise the difference between assertive, passive and aggressive behaviour and identify the tools they can apply to ensure the appropriate assertive communication skills required in different situations. They will acquire practical techniques which will increase their effectiveness and productivity and help them gain control of daily activities.
Basic Diabetes Awareness
This course will provide participants with an understanding of pre-diabetes, type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
It will explore prevention, detection and complications associated with diabetes and how making healthier lifestyle choices could help improve outcomes.
Building Personal Resilience to Change
Resilience is being able to sustain successful performance and wellbeing when facing adverse conditions.
This three hour training session is a self-reflective interactive session which aims to identify ways to build your personal resilience; identify what your strengths are and how to apply them; be able to assess what you can and cannot influence; and consider your support networks and self-care mechanisms.
Basic Mental Health Awareness
The aim of this course is to improve your awareness about mental health and know what the signs of poor mental health are and how to support yourself and other people to improve their mental health.
During the session we will explore the difference between mental health and mental illness, identify the signs and symptoms of mental health conditions, explore the key facts and myths about mental health conditions and understand the impact of stigma. It will also identify key resources for support.
Group Work Skills
Working in groups is not always easy. This three hour session will offer an introduction to group work skills with the aim to equip you with the skills required to set up and facilitate an effective group.
Participants will learn facilitation skills and techniques to encourage and support a group of people to achieve their goal or objectives. It will look at the value of planning and preparation in group work, the importance of group dynamics when delivering a session, the use of activities, as well as the importance of evaluation and reflection to develop and build good practice.
Healthy Eating: It's a balancing act
In light of the Government’s Obesity Strategy this course looks at what we eat, portion control and the benefits of a balanced diet.
During the session you will explore your understanding of nutrition and its relation to health in general, gain an understanding of how your eating habits can affect your weight; be aware of other related factors affecting health and identify tools to help you put what you learn into practice.
Job Application and Interview Workshop -Applying for Success
When you only have one chance to make the right impression it is important to get it right. This course is designed for anyone applying for or looking for a new role. It will be of particular interest to those in the early stages of their career, or those who are out of practice and need to update their skills.Â
Improve your chances of success in getting shortlisted and interviewed for a job.  Develop a better understanding of your strengths, skills and key selling points to tackle interviews with confidence. Identify what questions you may be asked at interview, and how to approach answering different types of interview questions.
MECC Gambling Harms
Gambling harms more people in the North East than anywhere else in the UK.
This training will help you to:
- understand how gambling products can be harmful
- learn about the effects of gambling on health and wellbeing
- feel more confident talking about gambling harms with people who may be vulnerable
You’ll also gain awareness of:
- why prevention matters
- how treatment and support services can help
- tools and resources available to support recovery
Gambling can affect more than just the person doing it. It can also impact family, friends, and colleagues. Start the conversation, stop the harm.
Mental Health Awareness for Line Managers
Most adults spend a significant proportion of their waking hours at work, so it is inevitably a setting where problems are often experienced.
Line managers and team leaders can play a vital role in reducing stigma and encouraging staff to talk about their mental health problems. They are on the front line of implementing policies and may be the first port of call if someone isn’t feeling well or is under pressure.
This course focuses on identifying mental health conditions in the workplace, how to develop and support a positive culture and giving you the confidence to engage in mental health conversations.
Motivational Interviewing and Communication Skills
This three hour training session will introduce the principles of communication, active listening, and motivational technique.
To be able to support others to change behaviours we need to understand the importance of good communication skills and develop skills in motivational interviewing as a form of collaborative conversation for strengthening a person’s own motivation and commitment to change.Â
This course includes:
• communication skills
• behaviour change
• motivational interviewing
Sleep Hygiene
This session will focus on the concept of sleep hygiene. With busy lives it can be easy for us to overlook the importance of sleep which is vital for good physical and mental health.
During the course, learners will explore some common barriers to good sleep and ways they can overcome these with the aim of getting consistent, quality sleep.
Basics to Getting Started in Physical Activity
This new course is targeted at individuals or those who support individuals to understand the basics for getting started with or increasing their level of physical activity.
The session will explore the reasons we don’t want exercise and how to help; to recognise the benefits of exercise; to develop ideas and techniques to begin to exercise; to know how to monitor the intensity you work at and goal setting techniques; and to explore ways to progress your exercise. No Lycra is required for this session.
Suicide Awareness Workshop
Promoting awareness of suicide and reducing stigma is crucial in mitigating suicide risk. This course will create an awareness in responding effectively to people experiencing thoughts of suicide; often we let the fear of saying the wrong thing stop us from saying anything.
This workshop is for people who want to feel more comfortable, confident and competent in having conversations which may help to prevent an immediate risk of suicide.
The workshop will provide a safe environment for participants to explore this subject and is suitable for anyone who might meet someone experiencing thoughts of suicide, for example volunteers, frontline staff and community groups working with the public.
Adult Mental Health First Aid - 2 Day Course
The aim of this 2 day accredited course is to develop skills to spot the signs of a person experiencing poor mental health as well as signs and symptoms of common mental illness. Learners will develop the confidence to start a conversation, assess the situation in terms of risk and enable them to signpost to appropriate support so that everyone can thrive.
Â
To register for the waiting list please email us to request an application form:
Making Every Contact Count - MECC
This course is suitable for anyone who may engage in health improvement conversations. These conversations could be with friends, family, colleagues, community members, clients and service users for example and are based in behaviour change practices.
During this modular session you will learn the basics of behaviour change and be able to explore wellbeing conversations around a variety of health and wellbeing topics from financial wellbeing to smoking cessation and domestic violence to mental health.
Many of us are already having MECC conversations and research shows that these very brief interventions can have a positive impact on individuals and communities alike.
Level 2 Delivering a Chair-based Exercise Programme (3 days) Accredited*
**Wellbeing for Life are the only learning centre in the North East to be able to offer this newly accredited training course**
Learners will understand the values and principles of adult social care and will develop the skills necessary to plan and deliver chair–based exercise to older adults and/or those less able. Learners will develop the necessary skills, knowledge and competencies in order to work in an unsupervised capacity.
Successful completion of the unit would enable learners to set up and run sessions in a wide variety of community care and recreational settings.
Looking for events, groups or activities near you?
Lifelong learning courses
Developing new skills can boost your self-confidence, create a sense of purpose, and help you connect with others.
How we've helped
On 11 and 12 November 2025, our Training team delivered a two-day Adult Mental Health First Aid course at Durham County Council. How timely, that the participants’ graduation fell on the very first Mental Health First Aider day in England. Amazingly, we had ten graduations from this course – meaning there is now ten more people...
Lifelong learning resources
-
Useful linkInformation on the Five Ways to Wellbeing: Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Keep Learning and Give -
Useful linkOfficial information from NHS about County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust including contact details, directions, opening hours and service/treatment details. -
-
Useful linkThe NHS has launched a free health and wellbeing quiz. Assess your lifestyle, get a score, and be signposted to the NHS tools and content to help... -
Useful linkAdvice in County Durham makes it easier for you to access the right advice and support. Whether you are an individual looking for help and advice or... -
LeafletOur courses are designed to support individuals with their awareness in topics that can improve their mental and physical health and range from short 90 minute workshops...
Brought to you by Wellbeing for life
Offering advice and training to support behaviour change and improve health, wellbeing and learning opportunities.
