photo credit: Nelson Webb @Flickr
By Sally Spencer
Thomas, Psy.D
It’s not an easy topic to discuss. Suicide, that is. There
is a lot of fear based on misperceptions about it. While pamphlets can
disseminate information, they are usually not effective enough to shift
attitudes or prompt discussion or even help people. The fact is, the majority of people who die by suicide are
working-aged people, and yet most of the suicide prevention efforts target
youth. By training workplaces to be better able to identify people at risk,
early in the progression of a mental health disorder, more people will get help.
Employers and managers are leaders who can champion a
mentally resilient and thriving workplace. They do this by understanding that
mental health issues are like other health issues and advocate for promoting
protective factors, minimizing risk factors and giving access to quality care.
When people are in crisis, these leaders can offer guidance on how to navigate
the balance of workplace functioning and individual well-being.
How do you get there?
A great place to start is to take the online assessment. Part organizational review and
part environmental scan, the questionnaire is designed to get workplaces
thinking about the many ways they could promote mental health in the workplace.
The assessment is helpful, but it is really just the foundation, and one page
from the Suicide Prevention Toolkit, which is a Working Minds Program and part
of the Carson J. Spencer Foundation.
But the results from the questionnaire will help set the stage for the
workshop that follows.
Utilizing the Suicide
Prevention Toolkit, employee assistant or human resources personnel, will
be able to lead between 25-35 people through the program. The program is
practical, user-friendly and seen as highly effective tool for suicide
prevention education in the workplace. . One of the main teaching tools is the
DVD, which creates a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about workplace
mental health challenges. Designed to be implemented over the lunch hour or as
a half-day session, the workshop opens the lines of communication and lets
employees learn and practice new skills, including help-seeking and help-giving
skills.
Just the employer is encouraged to take the organizational
assessment; there is research that supports the use of anonymous online
screenings for employees. Through WorkplaceResponse, a program of Screening for
Mental Health, employers have a unique opportunity to offer a customized online
screening tool that will let employees determine if their symptoms are
characteristic of various mood and anxiety disorders and alcohol problems.
Both programs are about preventing crises through a
proactive approach. Both programs are low cost, high impact approaches that
empower workplaces to help their vulnerable employees move from distress to
coping, communicating that the workplace cares about the well-being of their
workers, not just their immediate performance. Both programs have the potential
benefit beyond the workplace. In other words, the skills/information acquired
in these programs can be applied to family members, neighbors and more. This
positions the workplace as responsible corporate citizen and this holistic
approach can increase morale.