Are you a coach or instructor who would like to learn how to help climbers who may need some support with their mental health in order to access the fantastic wellbeing benefits of climbing? The Climb4WellBeing workshop could be just what you need.

Climb4WellBeing is a one-day, in person, course designed to build awareness of mental health, build confidence in supporting people with poor mental health, and learning how to deliver climbing as a tool for wellbeing.

We hope Climb4WellBeing will be a powerful tool for climbing wall managers, staff, coaches, and grassroot or community organisation volunteers accessing climbing spaces developing their understanding and advocacy of mental health and neurodivergence.

On completion of Climb4WellBeing you will be able to integrate new skills into the services you already offer, access BMC digital resources, and gain valuable Mountain Training CPD (continuous personal/professional development) points.

Benefits of completing Climb4WellBeing include:

• Develop an understanding of mental health illness and neurodivergence.

• Learn how to make climbing spaces more inclusive for people experience poor mental health, or people with a range of neurodiversities.

• Develop techniques for having impactful conversations about mental health.

• Discover how climbing can be used to improve mental health.

• Recognise the importance of mindset in climbing.

• Gain wellbeing tools and techniques to deliver Climb4WellBeing sessions for people who are experiencing poor mental health or deliver session with a more holistic approach.

This course is developed and delivered by Yasmin Clark, more from her here:

My name is Yasmin Clark, and I am the developer of Climb4Wellbeing. As a climber, mum, wellbeing coach, and advocate for creative mental health interventions, I bring a wealth of experience and passion to this initiative. With over 10 years in various healthcare settings, a Psychology degree, and recent work with a CIC providing climbing sessions for individuals with mental health challenges, my background is diverse and rich. Currently, I support people in crisis through a collaboration between the NHS and Cornish charity, Pentreath.

My journey into the holistic benefits of climbing began with my own experiences. Climbing reminded me of the dance I loved but had to give up due to health issues. The embodied movement, problem-solving, and fear exposure in climbing have been transformative for my struggles with mental health.

This fascination lead me to focus my university research on the psychosocial benefits of climbing. My findings, combined with extensive reading, healthcare experience, and my psychology background; inspired me to create training for instructors to facilitate holistic climbing sessions. Over the past year, I've collaborated with the BMC to develop this course, which aims to foster mental health awareness and empower instructors to leverage climbing's benefits.

I firmly believe in addressing the physical, psychological, and social aspects of health. Climbing offers a unique way to promote growth and encourage emotional exploration, making it an invaluable tool for wellbeing.

Upcoming Course Dates:

We hope to add course dates in the near future. If you would like a course run near you please contact dan@thebmc.co.uk

What does a Mountain Training coaching qualification give you?

If you were thinking about signing up to become a coach with Mountain Training, here's just a few of the key things you'll be able to get out of it:

• One registration fee gives you access to both Foundation Coach and Development Coach levels.
• Flexible start points for those with lots of previous coaching experience (through an accredited prior learning process).
• A bouldering pathway for those who only want to coach bouldering.
• Minimum age 16.
• Focus on climber-centred coaching.

WATCH: Foundation Coach, a Mountain Training qualification on BMC TV

« Back