Workplace Mental Health Training

COURSES (face-to-face or online)

• Putting Mental Health on your Workplace Agenda (All industries, 1-2 hours) 

• Training managers how to look after the mental health of their teams (4 hours)

• An introduction to moral injury (1-2 hours)

• Training media managers to look after team mental health (4 hours)

• Understanding trauma for journalists & journalism students (2 hours)

• I can also design a complete mental health strategy.

Why invest in workplace mental health training?

Estimated return on investment with mental health initiatives is $5.3 for every $1 spent on average: Deloitte (2022)

Black Dog Institute manager training returned $10 for every $1 spent. It led to a significant drop in work-related sickness absence. Managers had significantly more knowledge/confidence talking to staff about mental illness. The WHO in long-awaited guidelines on mental health at work (Sept 2022) strongly recommended manager training.

Psychological distress has risen dramatically for most working-age Australians – BDI

Mental illness was the leading cause of sickness absence & long-term disability before COVID-19

Mental illness sickness absence lasts 3 times longer than physical

NSW businesses are required to eliminate/minimise psychosocial risks as far as is reasonably practicable. Other states expected to follow suit.

Legal precedent: The Australian High Court in 2022 said the failure of the Victorian Office of Public Prosecutions to provide a safe workplace exacerbated and prolonged the PTSD of a young solicitor in its understaffed sex crimes unit. All 7 judges were unanimous in possibly the most important decision in Australian history for workers in occupations with a known mental health risk. Two wrote: “A particular type of employment may be such that the work to be performed is inherently and obviously dangerous to the psychiatric health of the employee … In any such case, the employer is duty-bound to be proactive in the provision of measures to enable the work to be performed safely.” The High Court said the Victorian government had a duty of care the moment the solicitor began work.

Other ways I can help your organisation

** Understand the emerging concept of moral injury. Since the publication of my memoir in late June, nothing has resonated more with readers around the world than moral injury, especially in the context of organisational and institutional betrayal.

Moral injury is a wound to the soul, a condition that shatters people’s sense of self. It has similarities to PTSD but is a distinct affliction that can occur in any occupation/walk of life. All that’s needed is for someone’s idea of what’s right to be violated strongly enough. There are two types of moral injury:

1/ Perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that deeply transgress one’s moral/ethical values.

2/ Betrayal of what’s right by someone who holds authority in a high-stakes situation.

** Researching and writing reports on mental health and trauma for budget submissions, policymaking, fact-finding & educational purposes. I bring decades of international journalism experience and seven years of writing a book to these tasks.

** Storytelling. Is your organisation doing something innovative in mental health or trauma? Want to get the message out there? I don’t do PR. I do storytelling and I need to believe in what your doing.

** Bring me a problem in the mental health/trauma space. I’ll try to help you solve it.

Need something voiced? Looking for authoritative audio or video? Click on this sample of my audiobook or check my website for videos.