What is Mental Health?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines mental health as ‘a state of well-being in which every individual realises his or her own potential, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and fruitfully and is able to make a contribution to her or his community’.

Working in the social and community services industry is highly rewarding, however, it can be stressful at times. This is why it’s so important to achieve and maintain good mental health and well-being.

R U OK?

Regular, simple, informal conversations help build a sense of belonging and connectedness which has been shown to promote well-being. Find the time to ask your colleagues, friends and family about how their weekend went, have a chat about an awesome new show on Netflix that you’ve discovered, or even just how things are going.

Checking in regularly with our colleagues and team members also means that we are more likely to notice when things are different or their behaviour changes. It can make the person we’re talking to more open to sharing information with us, and make a ‘difficult’ conversation easier because you’ve already shown that you’re interested and care.

Having a Conversation

If you notice a change in a colleague or team member’s behaviour or performance, ask yourself if it might be due to an underlying personal or mental health issue. If you think this is a possibility then why not have a conversation and ask how the person is going? This is important for everyone, but especially House Supervisors and Team Leaders.

Keep these handy pointers in mind:

• choose a time and a place that suits you both – somewhere private when you both have time to talk

• talk about the changes you’ve noticed and ask if they want to talk about anything

• encourage them to talk, but accept that they might not want to right now

• listen and show that you’re listening – don’t jump in with a solution

• find out if they’re ready to look for help and if you can help them do that

• check in after a few days and see how they’re going

Keeping the Team Healthy

Employee Assistance Program

Treehouse offers the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to all staff members. The EAP is a completely confidential service that connects you to an external, third-party counsellor, who will listen to you and provide confidential advice, support, and information.

If you would like to access the EAP, simply contact a member of the management team or HR.

Self Care Plan

We encourage every staff member to create a self-care plan upon commencement of their employment with Treehouse. It should be actionable, detailing your support network and the things that help you relax, re-energise and switch off.

Supervision

Supervision is intended to help keep you on track, continually learn, remain accountable and achieve work-related goals. It offers an opportunity to provide feedback and stay safe by working at a pace that is healthy and sustainable.

Free Online Resources

Emergency Support

If you or someone in the workplace is in crisis and you think immediate action is needed, call emergency services (triple zero - 000), contact your doctor or local mental health crisis service, or go to your local hospital emergency department.

Other crisis support lines include:

• Lifeline on 13 11 14

• Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800

• MensLine Australia on 1300 789 978

• Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467