I’m Tracy Au and I have a 2 year diploma in Professional Communication from MacEwan University. I am an aspiring screenwriter, so this blog is used to promote my writing and attract people who will hire me to write for your TV show or movie.
I post a lot of articles about jobs, entertainment (TV, movies, books), news, and my opinions on it. I also write about my daily life. I have another blog promoting my TV project at www.thevertexfighter.blogspot.com.
Mar. 16, 2018 "It's time to invest in student mental health": Today I found this article by Stephen Liptrap in the Globe and Mail:
President and CEO of Morneau Shepell.
Here's an unsettling fact. One of Canada's most-renowned universities, with a student population the size of a small city, is chronically reliant on philanthropic donations to meet the demand for on-campus mental-health programs.
Let's think about that for a second.
Imagine having to scramble every year for donations simply to meet a minimum service standard. Now imagine being an institution without the luxury of a large rolodex of donors – relying only on tuition fees or internal funding.
That's the reality facing most Canadian post-secondary institutions. Ontario-based colleges alone spend $165-million more for mental health services than they receive in provincial funding.
It's unacceptable. Especially as rates of anxiety, depression and suicide surge in our country's student population.
While Canada has shown tremendous global leadership around mental health, we're falling behind the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and others on student mental health. From a lack of provincial strategies to an absence of 24/7 supports to a tepidness towards piloting new technologies, we're shortchanging our next generation.
Canada's universities and colleges are at the frontline of a mental-health crisis. And they need help.
It starts with provincial governments providing predictable, long-term funding.
Invest in prevention and early intervention.
Most mental-health disorders emerge between the ages of 16 and 24. And the longer they're left untreated, the more debilitating they become – often leading to other costly, long-term chronic conditions.
Investing in prevention and early-intervention services for students saves lives. An early assessment and treatment can halt the negative course of mental illness and emotional distress, and improves a student's capacity to recover. It also dramatically reduces long-term disability during adulthood.
The broader societal benefits are even more profound. Degrees and diplomas carry tremendous economic value. Dropouts, in contrast, result in lost tuition, lost incomes taxes for governments and lost earning potential for the student.
According to a University of Michigan study, 25 per cent of dropouts with a grade point average (GPA) below 3.0 screen positive for at least one mental illness. The same researchers estimated that for every 500 students treated for depression, 30 dropouts are avoided.
To see the impact of early interventions, let's look at California. In 2011, the state agreed to invest US$8-million annually in mental-health training, peer-support programs and counselling at public universities and colleges.
This very modest investment led to a 13-per-cent increase in service usage within two years. The result: 329 additional students graduating per year, leading to an estimated societal benefit of US$56-million per year. A 7:1 return on investment.
Embrace technology
According to Pew Research Center, 80 per cent of young adults report texting as their primary form of communication. Sixty-two per cent use mobile devices as their first choice for looking up health information.
Chances are, if a student needs mental-health support, they'll look to their smartphone.
Technology funding must be at the core of any provincial post-secondary mental health strategy. It's cost-effective, scalable, and amplifies on-campus resources. It also provides students with timely access to care, increasing their willingness to seek support.
At Morneau Shepell, we've seen the impact of technology first hand:
Seventy per cent of our 24/7 student support app users access counselling during non-office hours – reinforcing that mental illness does not abide by a 9-5 schedule.
Nearly half access counselling through text or ad-hoc telephone support, rather than scheduled appointments – a significant contrast to other generations.
Four in 10 users would not have reached out for help through alternative methods – including on-campus, in-person support.
Technology is also a great equalizer. It allows institutions to cast a wider net, which is especially important for underserved student segments.
International students, for example, are vital to closing our country's innovation gap and making Canada a magnet for global mandate attraction – think Amazon's search for its second headquarters, HQ2. But are we supporting them during their times of need?
International students are two-and-a-half times more likely to experience stigma than their domestic peers. Korean students, for instance, are 50 per cent more likely to screen for depression and anxiety, while Chinese students are 50 per cent less likely to receive counselling.
If we want these talented young people to stay and succeed, they must receive culturally sensitive mental-health supports. And these services should be delivered in a uniform manner, regardless of whether the student is in Sackville, N.B., Scarborough, Ont., or Surrey, B.C..
Digital-counselling technology – connecting students to support based on language and cultural needs – offers the best, most cost-effective path forward. Governments and institutions must embrace it.
Start even earlier
Discussing mental health is often challenging and awkward. Yet, to move forward, we must normalize the issue. And there's no better place to start than elementary and high school.
As a final suggestion, I fully endorse the recent recommendation by Colleges Ontario and the Council of Ontario Universities that provincial governments develop mandatory K-12 curriculum emphasizing resiliency, coping skills and mental health education.
Creating an atmosphere where mental health is regularly discussed, early intervention is the norm and innovative technologies are embraced will pay off for decades to come.
Aug. 20, 2018 "End of summer a great time for a mental health check-in": Today I found this article by Naomi Titleman Colla in the Globe and Mail:
The last weeks of August are often bittersweet – days are still long and warm and we notice there are more “out of office” auto-replies than usual. However, anticipation of post-Labour Day change – ending vacations, back to school, back to business and days getting colder and shorter – can affect our mental state. Even for those relishing getting back to routine and counting down the days to ski season, this time of year is full of change, and change can be overwhelming.
In the workplace, it is important to acknowledge this sensitive time both for ourselves and for our colleagues. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), in any given year, one in five Canadians experiences a mental illness or addiction problem. By the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, one in two has – or has had – a mental illness. Now is a good time to check in on your own and your colleagues’ mental wellness and to pro-actively take care.
Organizations:
1) Ensure benefits programs sufficiently cover mental health and encourage employees to use them.
As the lines between work and life continue to blur, employers need to think more holistically about their wellness strategy. According to Deloitte’s 2018 Human Capital Trends report, while 63 per cent of employees value employee assistance programs (EAP) and 60 per cent mental-health counselling, only 30 per cent of employers offer EAP and 21 per cent mental-health counselling.
In addition to offering traditional EAP benefits, more and more organizations are offering flexible benefits programs with health spending or wellness accounts, which can be used to cover psychological services, yoga and meditation classes, health coaching and other services. Progressive organizations are also offering credits or bonuses to encourage use of benefits, versus the programs of yesteryear that were virtually impossible to understand or use to their full potential.
Consider partnering with experts who can implement programs to destigmatize and integrate mental health in the workplace. For example, Not Myself Today implements corporate programs such as “mood buttons” so that more employees are encouraged to wear their mood on their sleeve, literally, whether they are feeling anxious, Zen or happy.
2) Incorporate healthy (physical and mental) living into corporate culture.
For example, encourage employees to speak up or take time off when they are not feeling mentally well, just like when they don’t feel physically well. Encourage physical wellness by offering healthy snacks or catering options in the company cafeteria, and encourage team walks or “healthy hours,” which can all have a positive effect on mental health as well.
3) Be mindful when designing workspaces.
According to a study published by Central Michigan University (CMU) – Why we need more nature at work (May 23, 2016) – greater exposure to natural elements (sunlight being the strongest) has a positive effect on mental health and was positively related to job satisfaction and organizational commitment. So while you’re designing your new workspace of the future, consider desk proximity to windows and other natural elements.
Individuals:
1) Change your environment.
The CMU study indicated that mood spills over onto how someone perceives their job. A poor mood can lead to job dissatisfaction, which becomes a vicious cycle. Intuitively, we know that if we have a bad day at work, we bring our mood with us to our personal lives. But this study suggests the reverse is also true. Feeling low? Go for a walk during daylight hours or sit near a window. Even the presence of a nature-themed screen saver or a potted plant can have a positive effect.
2) Practise mindfulness.
Take time to be in the moment and focus on what matters. Oftentimes we can calm our brains, ease anxiety and refocus just by taking time to breathe, practise yoga or meditation, or write down our thoughts.
Taking a break from social media can also help – oftentimes when we are feeling low, posts on social media can heighten anxiety – both the seemingly constant flow of bad news and others’ seemingly perfect lives (or careers).
3) Seek professional help.
Whether you have a case of the blues or you’re down in the dumps, talking to a professional, through your employer’s EAP or an outside source that can help through therapy or other means, can save a lot of stress and grief in the long run.
Mar. 21, 2017"Why everyone needs to take care of their mental health": Today I found this article by Bill Howatt and Louise Bradley in the Globe and Mail:
This is part of a series examining the mental health experience in Canada’s workplaces.Take part in our short survey (tgam.ca/menthalhealthsurvey) and add your voice to this important conversation. This series supports The Globe and Mail and Morneau Shepell’s Employee Recommended Workplace Award, which honours companies that put the health and well-being of their employees first.Winners for 2017 will be announced at a conference in late spring. Sign up to receive an e-mail about registration for 2018 atwww.employeerecommended.com.
The term mental health problem or illness can be confused with the concept of mental health; however, they are different. About one in five Canadians will experience a diagnosable mental health problem or illness in any given year, whereaseveryone has a responsibility to look after their mental health. Good mental health is an important tool to deal with life’s daily stresses.
The Public Health Agency of Canada defines positive mental health as “the capacity of each and all of us to feel, think, act in ways that enhance our ability to enjoy life and deal with the challenges we face.”
Awareness
Given that two-thirds of Canadian adults spend 60 per cent of their time at work, workplaces can have an impact on our mental health. The way you experience your job can either damage, or enrich, your mental health.
Consider that a person living with anxiety might be receiving appropriate treatments, have a support network and a fulfilling job, at which she excels. Though she lives with a mental illness, her life circumstances, including her work, enrich her mental health. On the other hand, someone who doesn’t have a diagnosable mental health problem may be experiencing a range of challenges, from coping with aging parents, to financial stress, or undue workplace pressures. Even without a mental illness, this individual may still report poor mental health.
It is helpful to think about positive mental health and mental health problems or illnesses as interconnected, as shown in the diagram below.
One axis shows positive mental health as a resource. It is something everyone can work to strengthen. Taking care of your mental health requires the same kind of effort you expend to look after your physical well-being. On the other hand, if you are vulnerable to a mental health problem or illness, you can draw on positive mental health resources and supports to achieve well-being.
Given the central role of workplaces, it’s not surprising everyone performs better in psychologically healthy settings, free of harassment and bullying, where management is supportive, workloads are reasonable and expectations are clear.
Accountability
While public discussion about mental health is increasing, too often people under stress believe they should be able to cope better. This is often true whether you are living with a diagnosable mental health problem or simply experiencing poor mental health. This kind of thinking can stand in the way of taking positive steps to build up mental health, like seeking appropriate support. Staying in the stress cycle increases the risk of becoming more ill or further depleting mental health resources.
When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed, or when your coping skills seem inadequate, reach out to someone you trust.
Action
One way to take charge of your mental health is to tune-in to changes in your behaviour, feelings and thoughts. If your personal care, sleeping or eating patterns are changing, or you are being troubled by unwanted feelings and thoughts, these can be warning signals that your mental health needs attention.
1.Make a commitment to learn.
Explore what positive mental health means, and what kinds of things can build up your mental health resource kit. The wrong time to prepare for crisis is when you’re in it. Find out more about early warning signs and symptoms of mental health problems, and the kinds of help available. Like preventing a heart attack, it’s helpful to understand not only the signs and symptoms but also how to engage in prevention, and when and where to reach out when things are getting out of hand. A Mental Health First Aid course could be a good way to start. Consider inquiring if your employer would host one.
2.Get your baseline
If you’re questioning how well you’re coping at work, your current stress level, overall health and workplace experiences, complete the Your Life at Work survey. This behaviour-based tool will help you explore the relationship between stress and health and the role of coping skills. The Working Mind is an excellent tool to help employees learn to address mental health problems with a common language. Many employers in Canada are beginning to offer this training to their workers.
3.Devote a little of each day to improving your mental health
Maintaining your mental health is a lot like staying physically fit. A little effort every day goes a long way. The Canadian Mental Health Association is a good place to start for ideas.
4.Reach out.
Many people with mental health problems or illnesses endure in silence. There are resources in your community to help, including your family doctor and your company’s employee and family assistance program representative. A new report, released recently by the Mental Health Commission of Canada, Strengthening the Case for Investing in Mental Health: Economic Considerations, highlights Canadian research that indicates a person on short-term disability for a mental health concern will return to work 16 days earlier if they have access to collaborative care – which is when experts from different specialties, disciplines, or sectors work together to offer cohesive client services. This is one of many effective tools, interventions and that are available. Taking action will benefit your health, career and relationships.
Then why don't we have psychologists in provincial health plans? Surely a minimum standard of competence, ie being able to offer evidence-based therapy, should usher psychologists into provincial health plans.
Let the psychiatric lobby, such as the Can. Mental Health Assoc., which is forever pushing unskilled pill-pushing psychiatry onto an unsuspecting public, stand aside and let the real experts in. Canadians deserve proper care, not unscientific care from the largest lobby group.
The fact is that science-based professionals do not have the mindset of most of the public, which has a more nuanced emotional understanding than psychiatry and medicine can deal with. This is not a problem provided we make the right professionals, ie psychologists and some social workers, available to those who need them.
Mental health designed by psychiatry and medicine is NOT sufficient.
jamesp
8 days ago
That list might be the product of an OCD addled mind. Which doesn't worry me. Or make me anxious.
May 5, 2017 "Why every organization should have a mental-health strategy": Today I found this article by Stephen Liptrap in the Globe and Mail:
Stephen Liptrap is president and CEO of Morneau Shepell Every organization should have a workplace mental health strategy. The case is clear and compelling.
Mental health issues impact a sizable proportion of the workforce – one in three working Canadians report a current or past mental health issue.Because most of us spend a significant amount of time at work, these issues have a noteworthy impact on organizational effectiveness, from decision-making to retention to safety to relationships to attendance and productivity. According our data, absences alone cost Canadian employers $28-million per 10,000 employees, with mental illness being the leading driver.
So, why do only 39 per cent of Canadian employers have a workplace mental health strategy? The answer I most often hear is, “we don’t know where to begin.” Like any framework, developing a workplace mental health strategy is no easy task. But, there are clear steps that organizations can take to get started. Let me walk you through them.
First, the good news: many employers already have tools and core services to directly support a strategy. These typically include a combination of training, disability management and employee and family assistance programs (EFAP) that can be strengthened and better integrated. That’s an excellent foundation. But what comes next?
Setting clear objectives: A simple starting point to any strategy is agreeing on clear objectives. At Morneau Shepell, we focus on 5 Rs: removal of stigma, resilience building, recognizing risk, recovery and return to work.
From there, we urge organizations to embrace the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Available for free, the Standard provides a framework that is intended to:
Reduce people- and cost-risks related to mental health
Promote productivity and engagement
Reduce potential liabilities related to workplace legislation and employee mental illness
Develop and continuously improve work environments
Getting buy-in: The most successful mental health strategies start at the top. Visible commitment and ongoing support from a senior leader cannot be underestimated – for proof, look at the vital role Bell Canada CEO George Cope played in launching Let’s Talk and the company’s internal mental health strategy.
Senior executive champions inform their counterparts about the relevance of workplace mental health, reduce stigma in just a few words and sow the conditions for improved outcomes. But they must be committed, believe in what they’re preaching and truly lead. Employees can see through someone going through the motions.
The next step is training. Canada’s top organizations make workplace mental health training mandatory – from senior executives to frontline managers. People leaders are taught about proper messaging, anti-stigma, recognizing behaviour changes and how to engage a colleague with a potential mental health issue. Role-playing and simulations often lead to excellent results.
These efforts are best complemented by a cascading communications strategy, from the C-Suite to the frontline. A strong and consistent campaign focused on reducing stigma, raising awareness and bringing to view spokespeople with meaningful experiences will ensure that a strategy feels real and relatable.
Design, implementation and evaluation: Design and implementation are, by far, the most challenging parts of a mental health strategy. The National Standard, while an incredible tool, can be a tad overwhelming. My advice, don’t bite off more than you can handle.
Prioritize and focus. Whether you start with an anti-stigma campaign or by modernizing an existing program, do a few things well rather than several things poorly.
Also, remember that adding more programs will not necessarily improve outcomes. Strengthening and better integrating an existing suite of programs can go a long way.
Measurement and evaluation: I can’t fully articulate how important this step is. For a mental health strategy to be taken seriously, it must be held to the same standard as other business measures.
That means collecting reliable data and regularly keeping tabs on the value of and return on your investment. To that end, consider three types of measures:
Outcome measures: Absence and disability costs, EFAP utilization and employee engagement.
Risk indicators: Workplace total health, employee and manager sentiment and audits based on the National Standard.
Program effectiveness measures:A thorough and regular audit of programs asking the following questions:
Are programs working as intended?
Are people aware?
Are they using them?
Are services having an impact?
Finally, the most important step is to simply start. The issue of mental health in the workplace is significant, the ability to help or hinder compelling, and the opportunity for improvement is overwhelmingly clear.
In the spirit of Canada 150, let’s set a big, hairy, audacious goal: By 2020, every organization in Canada, regardless of size or sector, has a workplace mental health strategy.
Perhaps one of the greatest challenges is employees who receive training in mental health and wellness but come back into an organizational culture that has no framework of accountability to support ongoing growth in this area!
