Poor mental health can affect crew of all ages, nationalities and ranks. Support, awareness and education is the key in recognising mental health issues and the first step to support crew on the journey to recovery.

The Club works with a variety of maritime organisations, either directly or through support funding, to ensure a wide variety of mental health support resources is available to Members’ seafarers.

Mission to Seafarers WeCare training

The Mission to Seafarers’ WeCare programme promotes seafarer mental health and well-being through support and training for seafarers and their families, both on board and ashore. The core programme has been funded by the Club since 2019.

WeCare includes training courses on financial well-being and social well-being, which can be delivered by e-learning, workshops and webinars. The programme was shortlisted for the 2022 SAFETY4SEA Crew Welfare Organisation Award.

To get support, visit the WeCare website.

Stella Maris ship visits

The Club is a long-term supporter of Stella Maris, the official maritime charity of the Catholic Church and the largest ship-visiting network in the world.

The charity’s global networks of chaplains and volunteers make more than 70,000 ship visits each year and support hundreds of thousands of seafarers in times of need. The aim is to provide seafarers with a ‘friend in every port’.

To get support, visit the Stella Maris website.

International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network support services

The Club is a supporting member of the International Seafarers’ Welfare and Assistance Network (ISWAN), an international maritime charity which works to improve the lives of seafarers and their families.

ISWAN operates SeafarerHelp, a free, confidential, 24/7 multilingual helpline providing help and support to seafarers and their families around the world. Seafarers can also access free mental health resources on its website, including self-help mental health guides and exercises.

To get support, visit the ISWAN website.

Sailors Society Wellness at Sea training

The Sailors' Society’s Wellness at Sea training programme aims to improve seafarers’ mental health and well-being on board.

The training is provided at officer and crew levels, either through courses ashore or e-learning. It enables seafarers to improve their health and well-being by exploring five different aspects of wellness and the impact that they can have on the safe running of a ship.

To arrange training, visit the Wellness at Sea website.

Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center support services

The Club has arranged an exclusive Member discount for support services provided by the Innovative Maritime Emotional Intelligence Center (IMEQ), a seafarer mental health specialist based in Cyprus, Limassol and Athens.

IMEQ’s social psychologists, educational psychologists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists provide pre-employment mental health assessments, crisis response and online psychometric testing.

To access services, visit the IMEQ website.

Andrew Johnson mindfulness recordings

The Club has collaborated with self-care expert Andrew Johnson to offer Members exclusive access to mindfulness recordings. Mindfulness mediation can improve mental health and is used by psychotherapists to help treat depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, conflicts, anxiety disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder.

It also helps to relieve stress, treat heart disease, lower blood pressure, reduce chronic pain, improve sleep and alleviate gastrointestinal difficulties.

To listen free to the 10−20 minute recordings, visit our dedicated page.

Together in Safety Well-being and Care resources

The UK Club is a founding member Together in Safety, a consortium of more than 20 leading maritime organisations that aims to improve safety performance at sea through cooperation and through the sharing of best practices and lessons learned.

The consortium has developed a range of industry tools and resources on various topics including well-being and care, for which there are information leaflets, checklists, training and support.

To use the resources, visit the Together in Safety Tools & Resources website.

Mental Health Support Solutions support services

Mental Health Support Solutions offer a qualified team of psychologists providing mental health support and advice to seafarers. Services include a 24/7 helpline offering confidential and psychological support via email, text of freephone. Individual therapy and counselling sessions either face to face or by telephone are also available.

To get support, visit their website.