Province wins national award for mental health training
The Province of Nova Scotia won an award for giving employees tools to better manage their mental health.
The Mental Health Commission of Canada recently presented the province, one of eight employers across the country, with an Award of Excellence for being an early adopter of The Working Mind.
The Working Mind: Workplace Mental Health and Wellness is a program created by the commission to promote positive mental health in the workplace and decrease stigma related to mental illness.
Thirty-six government employee facilitators have trained 3,220 employees in 220 sessions since 2015.
“It makes me very proud to know our province is a leader across the country in trying to change the way we think about mental health and wellness in the workplace,” says Laura Lee Langley, Commissioner of the Nova Scotia Public Service. “I’m so impressed with how many employees have already participated in training in just two years.”
The program’s goals are to support the mental health and well-being of employees, enable full productivity, ensure the workplace is respectful and inclusive of all employees―including those with mental health problems and mental illness―and to encourage employees to seek help for mental health problems and mental illness.
“By being one of the pilot organizations of The Working Mind training, the Government of Nova Scotia has become a trailblazer in workplace mental health,” says Micheal Pietrus, director of Opening Minds, a larger Mental Health Commission of Canada initiative under which The Working Mind falls. “We want to acknowledge your organization for recognizing the importance of creating a mentally healthy work environment for its employees, and taking concrete steps to change its culture.”
The Working Mind is an evidenced-based training program, which includes scenario-based practical applications and custom videos of people with lived experience of mental illness, reference guides and related resource handouts. Based on the program’s success, we also offer a version designed for community and facility corrections called Road to Mental Readiness (R2MR), which has been well received.
“If someone shows signs of a physical health issue like an asthma attack, we would take notice and act. We don’t always act when it comes to mental health issues in ourselves or others,” says Carolyn Campbell, senior consultant, psychological health and safety with the province.
“The Working Mind helps people understand that just like physical health, we all have mental health too — and they are connected and always changing. Understanding this, changes how we care for ourselves and others, and helps shift our workplace culture to increase awareness, reduce stigma and provide support.”
