Neurodivergence and Mental Health – come to our workshop at the Watercooler event next week
Our programmes director Lou Campbell is a guest speaker at the Watercooler Event next week and is talking on the topic of Supporting the Mental Health of Neurodivergent Employees on both days. Her speaking slots are on Tuesday 23rd April at 3pm and again on Wednesday 24th April at 11.45am. More information about the talk is below. If you would like to receive free entry to the Watercooler event on either date to see Lou speak, please get in touch!
Supporting the mental health of neurodivergent employees
Neurodivergence is not a mental health issue. However, neurodivergent employees can be at a much higher risk of mental health issues, particularly if employers are unaware of the factors that can cause detriment to the wellbeing of employees with autism, ADHD, dyslexia and more neurodivergent conditions. This session is presented by Lou Campbell, a fully qualified workplace mental health professional, who specialises in supporting the mental health of neurodivergent employees.
This workshop will provide:
· A range of tips for helping your neurodivergent colleagues thrive at work
· Advice on what to do if your neurodivergent colleagues are struggling with their mental wellbeing
To book your ticket visit https://www.watercoolerevent.com
Book your wellbeing workshop for mental health awareness week now
This year’s Mental Health Awareness week takes place between 13th and 19th May and the theme is Movement and Mental Health. This theme may surprise many who perhaps do not equate movement with supporting their mental wellbeing but in fact regular movement is fundamental for good mental health and is something we should all be thinking about.
Humans evolved to move, and as well as the more commonly known physical-health benefits of exercise, regular movement offers many boons for our mental health. It can help lower feelings of anxiety and depression, reduce negative moods and thinking patterns whilst boosting confidence, self-esteem and improving sleep quality.
In my work as a mental health teacher, speaker and presenter, I have become aware of the legacy of the pandemic that has left many people living increasingly sedentary lifestyles, lamenting that they move less, get outside less frequently and do not exercise as much as they used to. The pandemic forced on us lives that were home-based, screen-focused and that restricted our ability to stay active and hybrid working has cemented this lifestyle.
We all now navigate a new-normal that generally means we engage in less movement. Gone is the walking to the station of the regular commute, the nipping out to the coffee shop, the walks at lunch and going to the gym after work and these movement-based activities are not being replaced. Research shows that around 34 per cent of men and 42 per cent of women do not engage in enough activity for good mental health[i] and Public Health England have said that we are 20% less active than we were in the 1960s, a percentage they expect to rise to 35% by 2030[ii].
With the unprecedented demand on NHS mental health provision, there has never been more of an urgent need to get back to previous habits, to get up and move more to support our mental wellbeing. And remember, movement does not simply mean exercise (although regular exercise is important!), it includes all those small moments of stretching reaching, walking and dancing that are part of an active life. Here are some ways that you can begin to improve your level of movement and exercise:
Stretch More: A great way to bring more movement into your day and to reap some much needed benefits is to take a few minutes every hour to get up from your desk and stretch. This simple act gives you a break from screen time, increases serotonin levels, helping stabilise mood and reduce stress, helps break up the stress hormones stored in our muscles and relieves tension and headaches. A few minutes every hour soon builds up!
Choose to Move: I know it sounds obvious, but one way to up our movement levels in daily life is to, well, do more movement. Look for ways you could be more active where you might otherwise choose a more sedentary option. Make going for a walk part of your day, perhaps during a lunch break or other times when you might otherwise drive, such as the school run or popping to the shops. Take the stairs instead of the lift, engage in activities like gardening or doing YouTube yoga stretches and why not take 5 minutes on your own to dance to your favourite tunes, boosting movement and dopamine!
Exercise: Although regular informal movement is essential, the importance of regular exercise cannot be ignored. According to the NHS, adults should be looking to engage in 75-150 minutes of exercise a week, meaning any activity that raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster! We all have differing levels of fitness, mobility and experience of exercise but there are activities and exercises out there to suit all needs. Start slowly and build and look to engage exercise that you can enjoy as this will help sustain you! Join a group or a club to help build momentum through shared experience. Look online for exercises that suit you and get involved. It can be tough at first but the benefits to your mental health soon become clear and you will thank yourself for having taken the first step.
Mindful Movement and Flow: Not all movement has to be about pace. Focusing on slow, deliberate movement through the practice of Mindfulness has been shown to improve attention, reduce stress, anxiety and symptoms of depression. Similar to yoga but with an emphasis on easily accessible and familiar movements, mindful movement helps us focus the mind and enter the “flow state”, reducing the mental chatter that can feed negative moods and mental health issues. Anyone can do mindful movement and its combination of unhurried moves and present moment focus is a winning combination that will help us manage and work through the stresses of the day.
In-house Employee Counselling Service from Wellbeing Partners
Wellbeing Partners’ in-house employee counselling service provides the fastest and most effective solution for supporting the individual mental health needs of your employees, in your workplace or online.
Companies and organisations across the UK are finding their EAP services unable to cope with demand, many private medical insurers with waiting lists of more than 3 months for accessing mental health services, and an NHS completely overwhelmed with millions of adults on waiting lists of 18 months or longer, even for acute mental health issues.
This perfect storm of growing mental health issues and burnout across society combined with a lack of provision from the usual mental health support services is leaving employees without the support they need.
Wellbeing Partners’ In-House Counselling services is an efficient, effective and compassionate response to these issues and the mental health requirements of your employees. Here are the main reasons why:
We are not an EAP: Wellbeing Partners In-House Employee Counselling Service is pay-as-you-use service (not a subscription model) that allows great flexibility for organisations and fast access to mental health support for employees.
Your Own Team of Mental Health Professionals: Your organisation will be assigned a small and dedicated team of fully qualified and highly experienced counsellors who get to know your staff and are accessible at any time they are needed. Sessions can be offered in-person in your workplace, or online via secure video platform.
New Trend, New Approach: Responding to the mental health crisis requires a dynamic approach. In house-counselling is the emergent trend in workplace mental health, one that we have been offering for many years with a large and growing list of workplace clients. Our in-house counselling service is refined, effective and offers dedicated one-to-one appointments with staff in-person or online to fit with their busy schedules.
Training and Experience: Wellbeing Partners are experts at providing mental health and wellbeing support in professional settings. This is because we source and employ experts in their fields. All our counsellors are BACP registered and with at least 10 years’ post-qualification experience. They also all have extensive experience of providing counselling and wellbeing coaching in professional settings and combine unrivalled training and experience that meets your needs.
Accessibility: Our In-House Counselling offers a broad service that sees no mental health issue as too big or too small. EAPs are increasingly turning employees away if their issues are deemed too small to meet the threshold for mental health support, or conversely, they are too complex for the support they can offer. At Wellbeing Partners we support all your employees no matter what their issue, offering a forum and safe environment for people to work through their challenges.
Prevention, Performance and Confidence: Our broad approach to challenges in In-House Counselling means that smaller issues can be prevented from developing into crises and more complex issues receive the timely support they deserve. Our counselling services focus on creating the framework and confidence that people need to maintain their mental health once the sessions are concluded, reducing likelihood of later relapses. In-House Employee Counselling is not a luxury, but an intelligent, supportive and economical response to mental health issues. It offers both short and long-term gains for individuals and organisations.
Would you like to become a Mental Health First Aider? Our next two day mental health first aid course takes place on 16th and 17th April – online and interactive with our nationally-accredited MHFA instructor. This course trains you as a certified Mental Health First Aider, giving you:
An in-depth understanding of mental health and the factors that can affect wellbeing
Practical skills to spot the triggers and signs of a range of mental health issues
Confidence to step in, reassure and support a person in distress using the Mental Health First Aid action plan
Enhanced interpersonal skills such as non-judgemental listening
Knowledge to help someone recover their health by guiding them to further support – whether through self-help resources, internal support such as EAP, or external sources such as their GP
An understanding of how to keep themselves safe while performing their duties
Format
This is an online course delivered in a live and highly interactive format by our nationally-recognised and accredited instructor
Learning takes place through four live training sessions, spread across two days, with self-learning activities in between.
Each session is built around a Mental Health First Aid action plan
We limit numbers to 16 people per course so that the instructor can keep people safe and supported while they learn
Takeaways
Everyone who completes the course gets:
A certificate of attendance to say they are a Mental Health First Aider
A manual to refer to whenever they need it
A quick reference card for the Mental Health First Aid action plan
A workbook including a helpful toolkit to support their own mental health
Getting Started
Enter your details below or call us on 020 3951 7685 to get started
Mental Health and Neurodiversity in the Workplace – a key focus for 2024
The conversation around neurodivergence in the workplace continues to gather pace, with encouraging moves towards awareness, inclusion and support for neurodivergent employees.
In addition to the full suite of neurodiversity support services such as diagnoses, assessment, coaching and admin support, Wellbeing Partners specialises in a range of unique services that go beyond what other neurodiversity providers offer:
Neurodiversity Training for Line Managers: Wellbeing Partners provides live and interactive specialist line manager training for effectively and appropriately supporting the needs of neurodivergent employees. The training can be provided online or in-person in your workplace, and offers in-depth insight into the different types of neurodivergencies and their challenges and advantages to the workplace; how to create a neuro-inclusive team and work environment; and how to communicate and support neurodivergent employees in a way that helps to remove the obstacles that can prevent them from thriving in the workplace. Please get in touch with us using the form below to find out more
Specialist Neurodivergent Counselling Support: Key to supporting your neurodivergent staff is ensuring that they have straightforward access to specialist neurodiversity counsellors who are experienced in supporting neurodivergent employees’ mental health. Contact us using the form below to find out more about our specialist mental health support services for neurodivergent employees
Mental Health Wellbeing Workshops for Neurodivergent Employees: Whilst neurotypical employees have largely benefited from a plethora of workplace wellbeing initiatives and workshops over the past few years, it is essential that employees with ADHD and/or autism are sufficiently catered for in this space. Wellbeing Partners specialised mental wellbeing workshops for neurodivergent employees provide content, presentation and communication specifically designed to help neurodivergent employees navigate the types of mental health issues that commonly occur in a workplace setting. Get in touch to find out more about our specialist wellbeing workshops
As organisations increase their awareness and celebration of neurodiversity in the workplace, more attention needs to be paid to the specific mental health needs of employees and recruits with ADHD and autism, and their managers too. The prioritisation of specialist support services that enable your neurodivergent employees to thrive is a responsibility that HR teams and managers need to consider and embrace, in order to be truly progressive employers.
Don’t wait for Blue Monday: Act now to bolster mental resilience over the winter months
Did you know that Blue Monday is not just an iconic 80s song, but an important reminder for us to look after our mental health? “Blue Monday” refers to a specific day – typically the third Monday of January- that has been dubbed “the most depressing day of the year”. However, as we move into the winter months and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) rears its head, it’s important to know that prevention is better than cure when it comes to winter-related mental health issues.
2 million people in the UK suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (S.A.D.), a medically recognised depressive disorder which recurs each year throughout the winter months[i]. This is sometimes referred to as the social term “Winter Blues” because the lowering of mood is associated with the inclement weather and having fewer hours of daylight. This year the burden is even greater with the cost-of-living crisis causing concern over heating bills, with the ONS reporting that 24% of people who struggle to pay their energy bills experience symptoms of depression[ii].
S.A.D. is not simply feeling a bit low, it is something that deserves serious attention. Symptoms include an absence of joy, sleep disturbance, low mood, social retreat, a lack of enjoyment in life, and for many, higher levels of anxiety as well. This often results in unhealthy coping mechanisms like overeating and excessive alcohol consumption.
And it impacts organisations and individual performance in the workplace. Winter-related mental health issues cannot simply be left at the door when we arrive at work. People who experience S.A.D. struggle with brain fog, memory loss, difficulty focusing and other cognitive function challenges, reduced decision-making skills, decreased motivation and greater absenteeism. The resulting downturn in workplace engagement and productivity may deepen the sense of isolation and despondency that is central to S.A.D. symptoms.
Here we have provided a small selection of tips from Wellbeing Partners’ Beating the Winter Blues and S.A.D. wellbeing workshop for employees:
Positive Winter Mindset: Complaining about the winter weather is a collective activity, but one that undermines our ability to feel anything but negative about it. Whenever we bond with others about the grey skies, cold and damp, we reinforce feelings of low mood. An alternative approach is to consistently talk about the things we may enjoy over the months, emphasising that which boosts our mood. Saying to others “I feel ok after a brisk walk in the outdoors at this time of year” helps develop a mindset that is accepting and embracing the seasonal changes, boosting our mental resilience.
Get Active, Get Outside: Reduced daylight hours during winter can lower serotonin levels and therefore lower our mood, so it is essential to get outside every day in daylight hours. A daily brisk walk offers a much needed serotonin boost through exercise and exposure to daylight. Without taking this action, you are unlikely to proceed through winter with good mental health. No matter what the weather we should endeavour to get outside once a day. As the saying goes, “there’s no such things as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing!”. A warm waterproof coat and waterproof shoes or boots are a must.
Cold Water Exposure: By that we mean having your usual warm or hot shower, but letting it run cold for 60 seconds and letting your whole body feel the cold water, before reintroducing the much-needed warm water for the remainder. This might sound counterintuitive as the natural inclination during winter is to crave warmth, but the minute of cold water helps combat seasonal affective disorder. Controlled exposure to lower temperatures has been shown to boost dopamine concentration by 250% (dopamine is a chemical messenger in the brain which communicates feelings of motivation and reward) and help combat depressions symptoms, reduce inflammation and muscle soreness and improve immunity to the common cold.
For further tips and techniques for improving mental health over the winter months and a wider examination of Seasonal Affective Disorder, please enquire about our wellbeing workshop for employees – “Beating the Winter Blues and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)”
Mindfulness: The brain hack your organisation needs.
A cursory glance at best seller lists, wellbeing social media sites and anywhere else we go for advice will show that the world is searching for help in alleviating the stress of living in our uncertain world. Amongst all the short-term suggestions, fad-diets and urges to ‘hustle’ or ‘change-up your life’, the one approach that is reliable, evidence-based and proven to develop resilience and reduce stress, is mindfulness – a type of “brain-hack” that has provable benefits for the individual and the organisations they work for.
In addition to the personal life and societal stressors so many of us are struggling with, plus record-breaking levels of work-related stress, overwhelm and burnout, nearly one-million workers experiencing work-related stress, anxiety or depression. This is bad news for the worker and their employers alike. People facing higher levels of stress are less likely to perform at their best, are more likely to be disengaged at work, and are taking more days off sick due to stress than ever before.
Increasingly, progressive organisations are turning to mindfulness, providing sessions and courses for staff, boosting both the mental health of employees and their performance at work. The benefits of this practice make it easy to see why organisations are turning to this tried and tested practice:
Benefits –
Reduces stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms: Mindfulness is clinically proven to reduce stress markers such as heart rate, blood pressure and cortisol levels. It reduces anxiety and depression symptoms and even decreases the size of the amygdala, the “fight or flight” part of the brain, making people less reactive in the face of stressors.
Improves focus, memory and problem-solving skills: People who regularly engage in mindfulness practice show consistent improvements in their focus and concentration, enhanced memory functioning as well as being more resilient when facing and solving challenges. These skills are essential for meeting our professional responsibilities.
Increases commitment and happiness at work: Research has shown that mindfulness practice contributes to people being able to follow tasks to completion and with fewer errors. Also, satisfaction in the workplace tends to be higher among mindfulness practitioners, brining benefits for the individual and organisation.
Enhances Emotional Intelligence and Communication Skills: Repeatedly studies into mindfulness show that it improves social relationships, reducing conflict and enhancing empathy for others. Employees who practice mindfulness are more reflexive in their responses and have better interpersonal relationships with colleagues, things that organisations rely on to function.
Develops Resilience: Mindfulness cultivates resilience and the ability to mange change effectively. Businesses thrive in a dynamic environment and organisational change is feature of the modern workplace, but change can be unsettling for individuals, impacting their performance. Mindfulness cultivates the resources needed to cope with change, promoting objectivity and equilibrium at times of difficulty.
How to implement Mindfulness in your workplace
At Wellbeing Partners we specialise in offering a full range of workplace mindfulness services led by our team of experts, all qualified to Masters degree level in Mindfulness Studies, and with many years experience of providing mindfulness in the workplace.
Regular mindfulness sessions: We provide regular in-person or online 30 minute mindfulness sessions in workplaces, which encourage employees into the workplace, and provide a regular time each week to engage in this beneficial practice.
One hour Mindfulness workshops: These one hour highly interactive workshops are an ideal lunch and learn offering that encourage employees into the workplace to enjoy the benefits of evidence-based learning. On offer are sessions such as:
“An Introduction to Mindfulness
“Mindfulness in Daily Life”
“Mindfulness for Resilience”
“A Mindful Approach to Sleep”
“Mindfulness for Parents”
“Mindfulness for Men”
“Dynamic Mindfulness”
Mindfulness Courses: Our evidence-based courses are highly interactive and facilitated by our mindfulness teachers who specialise in MBCT and MBSR. Each course is one hour per week for 4-8 weeks, and is for groups of up to 15 people in your workplace:
8 week Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy for reducing anxiety, catastrophising and depression
8 week Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction for reducing stress & anxiety, overcoming burnout and improving sleep
4 week Facing Anxiety and Flourishing – a short course using mindfulness and CBT techniques to help employees who struggle with anxiety
Online Wellbeing Retreat: Our popular “Online Wellbeing Retreat” is an online hour of interactive relaxation including segments on physical stretching & improving energy with our physiotherapist, relaxing the mind & cultivating gratitude with our counselling psychotherapist, and grounding & engaging with the senses with our mindfulness teacher.
Movember and Male Mental Health: Now is the time to act.
Movember is the annual reminder that men’s health – or more accurately, discussion around how men manage their health – is something that still needs prompting, especially with regards to mental health.
As we navigate an era of uncertainty, a phrase that has perhaps defines our current pressures is “the cost-of-living-crisis”. This inescapable phrase and its day-to-day reality are having a very real impact on mental health, and there is an urgent need to discuss the decisions that men are making in the face of these economic pressures.
While the cost-of-living crisis affects us all, for many men there is an added layer around perceived gender roles that is feeding heightened levels of stress, anxiety and depression. The traditional male breadwinner image, although less often spoken about explicitly, is still a potent force that shapes behaviours. For many men, accomplishment as an individual is often tied to monetary success and providing for others[i]. The cost-of-living crisis and wider economic downturn has reduced job and financial security, in turn undermining individual sense of worth and detrimentally impacted male mental health.
Men in general are less likely than women to ask for help with their mental health[ii] and this pattern is repeated in the face of financial stress and the anxieties they provoke[iii], with many men choosing instead to “tough-out” the financial challenges they are face. This is dangerous tactic as male mental health stats attest:
40% of men have never spoken to someone about their mental health[iv]
1 in 8 men suffer from depression or anxiety at any given time[v]
Compounding this are the coping strategies that can define male response to mental health issues. Men make up only 36% of those who seek professional support, choosing instead to manage alone. This is problematic and can lead to destructive habits such as alcohol and drug abuse, both of which are much higher in men than women[vii].
In addition, hybrid working has led to reduced levels of professional interaction. People who experience heightened levels of isolation and loneliness suffer higher levers of stress, anxiety and depression[viii], and this is just adding to the mental burden that many men are facing, often without the tools to cope.
It is therefore essential that we use this month to change the narrative around male mental health. Organisations have a duty of care for their workforce and the issue of supporting men in the face of mental health issues needs to be central to that. Movember is the perfect opportunity to highlight these issues and provide options to support male staff, facilitate conversations around mental health and even help manage issues before they become crises.
At Wellbeing Partners, we offer group wellbeing workshops including ‘Men’s Mental Health’, ‘Taming the Tiger: Resilience for Men’, ‘Mindfulness for Men’ and ‘From Anxious to Calm’, as well as one-to-one counselling and wellbeing sessions that can help men talk about and manage their mental health.
Men’s Health Week: How to Support the Health of Men in Your Workplace
This year Men’s Health Week is running from 13th to the 19th of June, bringing much needed focus to the subject of the physical and mental health of men in the workplace.
While it is easy to dismiss as a stereotype “the stubborn male refusing to take their health seriously”, statistics suggest there is a large kernel of truth in this image. And this is more than a wellbeing issue – it is one that impacts work, professional engagement and attendance in the workplace. Ensuring that men prioritise their health is a decision that is for the good of the individual as well as the organisation.
It is easy to have a blind spot about our health, and this is especially true of men. It is still the case that males are much less likely to visit the doctors than females for both physical[i] and mental health issues[ii]. There are a variety of reasons for this but the most common given by men are that they are “too busy” or “it will get better on its own” and this has a damaging impact on health in the long term.
Men commonly die earlier, become ill at a younger age and experience more chronic illnesses than women[iii] and illnesses that could be stopped in their tracks are more likely to become serious, demonstrated in the statistic that in the UK men are more likely to experience and die from heart disease, the country’s biggest killer[iv].
Mental health is also a serious issue. Only 36% of NHS mental health patients are male but men make up three quarters of suicide deaths in the UK [v] and they are also more likely to abuse alcohol and recreational drugs as coping mechanisms[vi].
What makes this issue even harder to manage is that men are less likely to raise these issues in the workplace for fear of the stigma, with studies showing that men will regularly use annual leave to try and resolve mental issues rather than ask for help. This is problematic as it means men are using time that should be for rest to manage mental health and it means the issue is kept from their organisations and the provisions of support they offer.
At Wellbeing Partners we are dedicated to normalising the discussion of male health to help the individual but also make it easier for organisations to support their staff.
For Men’s Health Week in 2023, we offer some key wellbeing workshops and sessions for the men in your workplace:
“Men’s Mental Health” – a one hour live and interactive workshop presented by David – a fully qualified and experienced mental health professional and presenter. The session provides stats, tips and techniques for men to improve their mental health, and encourages the men in your organisation to seek professional support if they need it. (Online or In-Person)
“Men’s Health” – presented by our award-winning Men’s Health Specialist and Speaker, Peter. The session is a one hour quiz-based session which is live, fun, interactive and educational. (Online or In-Person)
“Mindfulness for Men”
“Taming the Inner Critic: Resilience for Men”
We also offer confidential One to One Wellbeing Counselling sessions with our team of male counsellors – fully qualified and highly experienced) in your workplace or online. Our male counsellors are very experienced at supporting the challenges and mental health difficulties that men often face, and deliver the sessions at an individual level, in a way that makes them very accessible for male employees.
To find out more about our exceptional workshops, one to one sessions and training courses, please contact [email protected] or visit our website at www.wellbeing.partners
Our programmes director Lou Campbell is a guest speaker at the Watercooler Event next week and is talking on the topic of Supporting the Mental Health of Neurodivergent Employees on both days. Her speaking slots are on Tuesday 23rd April at 3pm...
This year’s Mental Health Awareness week takes place between 13th and 19th May and the theme is Movement and Mental Health. This theme may surprise many who perhaps do not equate movement with supporting their...
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