Mental health first aid, and why it's so important in the workplace
What does your organisation's first aid policy look like?
If you're like most roganisations, then you probably have a first aid kit stashed away in the break room, ready for whenever an accident or injury occurs. You've probably also got at least one employee with first aid training who can leap into action the moment they're needed.
But what about mental health first aid?
Mental health first aid is just as important as physical first aid. Unfortunately, it's often overlooked by business owners and managers, leaving a lot of employees hanging.
What is mental health first aid?
Exactly what it sounds like!
Whether it's personal problems, relationships with coworkers, trauma or grief, or compounding stress, there are many things that can negatively impct mental health. This can in turn have many flow-on effects:
- Reduced motivation
- Higher absenteeism
- Less efficiency
Luckily, timely intervention can ensure that employees have support for when these things happen - before it escalates into a full-blown breakdown.
Mental health first aid training
Provided by a registered psychologist, workplace mental health training provides bespoke training designed to provide your team with the tools they need to practice mental health first aid. Some areas of focus can include:
- Educating them about symptoms of mental health issues
- Strategies for reducing stress and improving work-life balance
- Coping mechanisms
- Managing mental health crises
In addition to handling their own mental health challenges, these programs also provide the tools for employees to identify mental health challenges in their colleagues and provide support.
This can be combined with other systems such as an employee assistance program to handle issues that are too challenging to deal with in-house.
