Professional views

. The implementation of Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) has meant that workplaces are addressing their mental health literacy which is great, but the global movement is not without criticism within the mental health community.

Company culture is rooted in the way employees see themselves, each other and the work they do. People often experience problems with their workload or job role.

Freud said ‘to love and to work’ although he paid more attention to the former. Counselling has largely argued the importance of our relationships but generally overlooked the importance of the workplace.

The NHS describes anxiety as “a feeling of unease that can be mild or severe”, sounds pretty straight forward right? However, anxiety can be so much more, not only does it affect how we feel emotionally but it can also change how we feel physically too. Ever feel your heart start to race before an important meeting?

Its only for big issues

Many people see counselling as a treatment, a bit like booking a doctor’s appointment when you are ill. However, we know now this view of counselling is outdated and unhelpful.

Hybrid working seems to be part of this ‘new norm’ we are all in now. Spending part of the working week at home and going into the office a couple of days a week definitely has its advantages but if we’re not careful it’s easy to find yourself feeling like you’re living at work rather than working from home! So how can we strike the right balance…

Single session therapy has been around for a few decades but its only now that it’s really starting to get the recognition it is worthy of.

Think about the last meeting you were in. Let’s say there were 12 people around the table (or on the screen), including some mid-level, and maybe even senior, managers. Nine of them will suffer from burnout. Yes, a full three-quarters of the personnel at your meeting!