A glimpse behind the scenes at Storm Skills Training: 15th – 19th January 2024

by Storm Skills Training | Jan 19, 2024

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Welcome to the first post in our behind-the-scenes blog series!

We'll give you a sneak peek into what we're working on, to help you get to know us better and to keep you in the loop with our latest news. If you have a question for the team, we'd love to hear from you.

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An update from Bianca - conversations with our community and first board meeting of the year:

“It was the first board meeting of the year and we got strategic! I also had some great conversations with our community this week, those that we already work closely with, and some newbies. I’m always thinking creatively about how to meet the needs of different groups. The highlight was the fabulous engagement we got from the first Steering Group meeting.” 

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Hello to our new steering group:

We kicked off the week with our newest steering group, where a diverse mix of professionals had some insightful discussions on developing our intermediate-level training. Chaired by our CEO, Bianca. We also had engaging presentations from Becky (Research & Evaluations Coordinator) and David (Head of Training Delivery).

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A busy training week:

Dani and Megan did an amazing job supporting three training sessions – two in-person and one online. Dani, our creative genius has also been busy developing the design of materials for our facilitators, and the creativity is flowing!

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Our second open course is nearly here!:

Megan got us all set for the open course next week, with six participants and our consultant ready to go. She will be on hand as tech whizz to make sure everything runs smoothly.

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Newsletter in the works:

We're currently editing the next edition which will be packed with resources and exciting interviews. More updates coming soon!

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Team wellness:

Emma and Dani had the calendar at the ready this week to start planning some team wellness activities. These sessions are a way for us to recharge and spend some time together - especially important with us being a remote team.

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Connecting with other not-for-profits and comms professionals:

Our Communications Coordinator, Kirsten, attended her first PR network group with Charity Comms. Lots of engaging discussions and she left with lots of ideas on how to connect with our community this year.

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Customer support:

Of course, Emma and Olly have been continuing to support our lovely customers, consultants, contractors, and the wider self-harm and suicide prevention community. One of our favourite things in the Storm Skills Training team is being able to take time to chat with you.

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And finally, taking time to have a chat with each other during a busy week:

Amidst all the hustle and bustle, we're making sure to keep our day-to-day activities on track. And yes, we did still find some time to connect with each other during the week. Our highlight? A friendly debate over the correct way to make a brew for Samaritans' #BrewMonday – it definitely brought smiles to our faces.

It's been a whirlwind week, but we're loving every minute of it!

#StormSkillsBehindTheScenes #TeamWorkMakesTheDreamWork 🌟

If you'd like to ask us a question, or suggest a feature for an article, we'd love to hear from you. Send us an email: enquiries@stormskillstraining.com.

Linda's Story:

Meet Linda Gask: Co-founder

I studied medicine in Edinburgh, before moving to Manchester where I trained in psychiatry. I had both professional and personal interest in mental health, having experienced depression and anxiety myself. I was acutely aware of the need for effective communication to better understand and work with my patients.

Storm Skills Training started as a research project Manchester University funded by the Department of Health in the 1990s. Myself and Richard Morriss developed a training package that demonstrated how using viewing recorded roleplays could actually change people’s behaviour. We first tested our approach in Preston, then across a wider area in South Lancashire.

At that point, we named it Storm Skills Training and we were joined by Gill Green to roll out the delivery of training. Gill further developed Storm as a CIC and it’s wonderful to see how it has grown to where it is today under Bianca and her team.

My passion for many years has been on making mental health support more accessible in primary care. Until the Spring of 2023, I was Presidential lead for primary care at the Royal College of Psychiatrists and I continue to offer advice on the issue.

I moved to Orkney full time in 2020 at the start of the pandemic. I am Chair of a local mental health organisation called the Bilde Trust. As a rural community, we face our own challenges with mental health – it’s great to be involved in making a difference where I live.

Orkney is a wonderful place, unlike anywhere else in Scotland or the UK. I particularly enjoy writing here. After my first book, The Other Side of Silence, was published, I wrote my second (Finding True North) about how moving here positively impacted my own mental health.

My third book will be published at the end of 2024, exploring mental health and feminism. Maybe then I will take it easy, but that’s very hard for me to do!

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enquiries@stormskillstraining.com 

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Storm Skills Training CIC:

Registered Office: Storm Skills Training CIC, The Exchange, Brick Row, Stroud, Gloucestershire GL5 1DF.

© 2023 Storm Skills Training CIC | Company number: 07726889

A not-for-profit social enterprise delivering high-quality skills training in self-harm and suicide prevention.

Keith's Story

Meet Keith Waters: Non-executive Director

Keith has over 25 years of clinical experience in Liaison psychiatry, self-harm and suicide prevention and was awarded an Honorary Research Fellowship by Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (DHCFT) in 2013.

For many years he was the lead for the Derby site of the Multicentre Study of self-harm in England, a study which he still maintains a very active role in. Until recently he was the Clinical director for self-harm and suicide prevention for the Trust and retains a post within the research team.

Keith is also a Storm Skills Training consultant with many years experience in facilitating, delivering, and supporting Storm Skills Training and has for a number of years held a seat on the National Suicide Prevention Alliance steering group.

He has been the Suicide Prevention manager for the East Midlands and Clinical Advisor for Suicide Prevention with the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network, developed a business and clinical case for Liaison Psychiatry Services in Derbyshire, and was the clinical advisor for its implementation.

Keith is an experienced trainer, facilitator, and presenter in Self Harm and Suicide prevention and management, locally and nationally in addition to the work with DHCFT and Storm Skills Training, has helped develop and delivered an initially lottery-funded suicide awareness training program across the East Midlands and organised chaired and delivered at numerous nation conferences and events. Keith has also been a joint author on numerous published research works, and chapters in clinical textbooks on self-harm and suicide prevention and has contributed to policy and practice guidance developments locally and nationally.

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Alf's Story

Meet Alf Hill: Non-executive Director

I first encountered Storm Skills Training CIC during my time as a volunteer Business Mentor at Unltd – a charity that supports social enterprises. Co-founder Gill Green was one my mentees in 2010 when Storm Skills Training was still within the University of Manchester and at the beginning of its journey to becoming an independent Community Interest Company.

At our first meeting I asked Gill, “How do you think I can help you?” Gill’s response was “Well… you could explain accounting to me.” We worked together for 18 months to develop Storm Skills Training as a social business. When Storm Skills Training CIC was finally incorporated in 2011, I was invited by Gill and Linda to be a non-executive Director and became Chair of the Board ten years later in 2021.

I’ve had a diverse career; initially as a civil servant, then in senior management and executive and non-executive roles in insurance and reinsurance in the UK and USA, in the corporate sector, and in Lloyd’s of London.

I returned to the public sector initially in adult education then at the Equal Opportunities Commission, later the Equality and Human Rights Commission.

A qualified accountant, I’ve been trustee of several charities, local and national, currently the Yapp Charitable Trust and the Centre for Investigative Journalism.

At Storm Skills Training, post-pandemic I feel that we are stronger than ever. I’m excited about the future with our new team with an ambitious plan.

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Gill's Story

Meet Gill Green: Co-founder

My career has taken me from nursing to academic research and finally to the development of Storm Skills Training CIC as a skills training company.

When I was nursing, so many of my patients often expressed that they felt so hopeless that they thought about ending their life. And like so many of my colleagues, I felt ill-equipped to know the right way to respond. It was a dilemma that I wanted to address through skills training – to give fellow healthcare professionals the confidence and practice they needed to have those difficult conversations.

In 1997, it was a chance job advertisement in a national paper for a Trainer and Researcher that introduced me to Storm Skills Training. At the time, I saw the 12-month project, working with Linda Gask at the University of Manchester, as an opportunity to learn new skills to take back to clinical practice. After the project, I stepped away for a few years, remaining in research but working with prisons on a different project. Research was definitely where I wanted to be.

I came back to the University of Manchester in 2003, when Linda and I started to develop the training package we now know as Storm Skills Training. It was important to us to translate the theory into usable, effective practice. I knew that as a healthcare practitioner, it wouldn’t be enough to sit in a room and be ‘taught’ suicide prevention. It is only through practice that we can actually ‘do’ suicide prevention.

I’m looking forward to supporting Bianca in realising her vision for where we go to next – and to exploring even more new directions for my own career. 

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Bianca's Story

Meet Bianca Romanyk: CEO

With over two decades of experience in the mental health field, I am proud to lead Storm Skills Training as CEO - an organisation dedicated to transforming how we respond to self-harm and suicide through compassionate, evidence-informed training.

My journey began as a probationary psychologist in community mental health in rural Australia, where I worked across diverse areas including crisis assessment and long-term support for individuals with severe mental illness. These formative years instilled in me a deep belief in the power of human connection and the importance of empathy in mental health care. I developed a particular interest in supporting young adults with complex trauma and was fortunate to train in Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT), further shaping my commitment to person-centred care.

In 2013, I encountered Storm Skills Training for the first time as a trainee facilitator. The experience was transformative. I saw firsthand how the training empowered professionals to have life-saving conversations with those in distress. This moment marked a turning point in my career, aligning my passion for mental health with a mission to create systemic change.

In 2015, I relocated to the UK and joined Storm Skills Training, beginning my journey with the organisation on World Suicide Prevention Day. Since then, I’ve been dedicated to expanding our reach and impact, working alongside an incredible team and community of consultants who share a vision for a more compassionate world.

Outside of work, I find joy in nature, creativity, and caring for my two dogs, Derek and Doris. I’ve recently embraced a new chapter as a foster carer, continuing my lifelong commitment to supporting young people.

At Storm Skills Training, I am driven by the belief that we can—and must—do better for those in distress. My vision is a world where every person feels empowered to help, where support is tailored to individual stories, and where compassion is at the heart of every response.

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Find support:

If you need help and support please reach out for it, here are some options:

Samaritans (UK)

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Phone: 116 123 (24 hours a day, 365 days a year)

Visit: samaritans.org

International Association for Suicide Prevention (International)

Visit: findahelpline.com/i/iasp