Some good top tips on what good/not so good conversations look like when dealing
with Mental Wellbeing.
BARRIERS IN SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AT WORK
Fear of upsetting the person.
Not wanting to interfere.
Stigma.
Lack of education about mental illness.
Insufficient mental health policies.
· BEING AWARE OF THE COMFORT, STRETCH AND PANIC ZONES
· HOW TO SPOT THE SIGNS OF MENTAL HEALTH IN OTHERS
Demotivated/listless.
Increased frustration.
Unusally poor performance.
Lack of concentration.
Changes in mood or behaviour.
Heightened nervousness.
Arriving late/leaving early or vice versa.
Over/under emotiona.l
Hygiene/dress.
Increased physical ailments.
Constant worrying.
Fidgeting/shaking.
Increased irritability.
Substance abuse.
More introvert/extrovert.
Weight gain/loss.
Paranoia.
THE SKILLS NEEDED TO HAVE A SUPPORTIVE CONVERSATION
Learn to S.E.W
S – Seek first to understand and get into the mindset of the person and what the
problem is.
E – Explore
Use Active Listening – eye contact, nod your head and acknowledge
during the conversation.
The quieter you become the more you hear from the person.
Non-verbal signals: eye contact and body language.
Be encouraging.
Clarifying: provoke further conversation to understand more about the
situation/person.
Reflecting: use the persons words back to them to let them know you are
listening to what they are saying.
Silence: give them time to think/respectfully listen to what they are saying.
Empathising: Let them know you are “walking with them” and putting
yourself in their shoes.
Do not give them examples that have happened to you – just listen.
Summarising: Summarise the conversation and let them know you have
understood.
This conversation should be made up of 20% you and 80% them.
Use open questions – How? What? Where? When? Who? This creates a
connection and lets the person know that you are interested in what they
have to say.
Do not use Why? This can be seen as judgemental and means you are
looking for an answer which the person may not have at this point.
Avoid question stacking at all times. If you ask more than one question at
a time the person will most likely only answer the last one.
Enable the person to think for themselves and take ownership of their
issue.
It is not for you to solve. You must encourage them to self reflect.
W- What’s next?
It is important to focus on the person.
Reassure them/reassurance can go a long way.
Guide them to the Help and Support available at work or outside
organisations.
It is important to remember that sometimes a person will not want to open up at this
stage. You can keep asking them until they are ready to share however it simply
might be the case that they are speaking with someone else at this point and will
share when the time is right.
Listening is so important. Make this conversation all about them.The best thing you
can say at this stage is “I’m listening” In the majority of cases this may be all that
person may need.