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Recently, I had the opportunity to get mental health first aid certification. As a coworker, volunteer, and friend; I wanted to get certified in order to best support my peers. So, what is mental first aid and why is it important?
According to the Mental Health Commission of Canada, “Mental Health First Aid is the help provided to a person who is showing signs of declining mental well-being or experiencing a crisis.” The help given involves finding support and genuinely listening to someone without judgment. The role of a mental health first aider is to support a person through a crisis situation, allowing them to speak openly and helping connect them to beneficial services. With 1 in 5 Canadians experiencing mental health problems each year, it is so important to support each other.
Botree’s training programs incorporate the DiSC communication model. I am an S type through and through. Because I am an S, I value supporting others. As someone who is constantly driven to find new ways to help others, I was so eager to gain my certification in mental health first aid.
After taking the course, I was inspired to take initiative in my workplace and create a mental wellness plan for our team. I value my coworkers and wanted to make sure our space remains safe for everyone. I want my coworkers to always see me as a support system they can rely on. Most importantly, I want to be able to be there for them if they ever need me.
The Government of Canada has provided workplaces with the following 8 actions to improve mental wellness in the workplace:
Support employee participation and decision-making
Define employees' duties and responsibilities
Promote work-life balance
Encourage and model respectful behaviours
Manage workloads
Provide training and learning opportunities
Have conflict resolution practices in place
Recognize employees' contributions effectively
Which of these action items can you introduce to your employees? Let us know how you’re planning to create a supportive workplace environment.