Here are ten tips to start the conversation:
- Feel more prepared by educating yourself about the suspected mental health concerns.
- Ensure you are in a mentally healthy headspace before offering support to others.
- Actively listen with your complete attention on the speaker.
- Resist thinking about how you should respond next or offer advice or solutions.
- Validate their experiences and express your understanding back to them.
- If comfortable and appropriate, relate to them on a personal level and share your own experiences.
- Refer them to your organization’s resources or online mental health screening at: https://eapassist.com.au/screening-tools/
- Always respect the employee’s need for and right to privacy if they disclose a mental health condition and be aware of your personal biases against mental health conditions.
- Know your comfort level when supporting other people. You are not expected to be a mental health professional, but you can still help others by opening the conversation and suggesting appropriate resources.
- Check in on a regular basis.