Psychological Health & Safety

HOW WE CAN HELP:

  • WORKPLACE PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY SUPPORT PROGRAM
    This program provides employers with a channel to allow their employees who have experienced or witnessed harassment, bullying, abuse, discrimination, and/or psychologically unsafe/toxic conducts to register their concern and seek support in a safe and objective setting outside of work (if they feel that they are unable to do so at work). The aim of the program is to help employers:

    • Pro-actively and effectively address the employee’s concerns BEFORE the situation deteriorates to a state where the employee feels a need to file a formal OH&S complaint and/or human rights complaint.
    • Develop and administer (or review on the employer’s behalf, if a WCB claim has been filed) a psychological injury evaluation, treatment, and accommodation plan to ensure that the employee’s psychological condition is being attended to in an objective, prompt, and effective manner.
  • TRAINING
    Training for managers and employees on mental health and psychological safety topics, including but not limited to: managing stress and burnout, dealing with anxiety and depression, trauma, grief and loss, understanding and managing psychological safety factors, understanding and preventing psychological injuries, and more.
  • MENTAL HEALTH / PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY SCREENS & PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT
    • Mental health screen and risk identification for individuals and organization/group
    • Psychological safety assessment and hazard identification for organization/group
    • Assistance in the development of workplace mental health and psychological safety strategies, policies, and programs.
  • COMPREHENSIVE ASSESSMENTS – PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES & INJURY, COGNITIVE FUNCTION, SUBSTANCE ABUSE
    Assessments in critical areas that affect an individual’s ability to work, return to work learn and/or function daily:

    • Psychological assessments to determine the types and severity of mental health issues, disorder, or illness experience by the individual.
    • Psychological injury assessments to determine the type and extent of an individual’s injury, typically for or in response to an injury claim by the individual.
    • Cognitive functional capacity assessment to evaluate an individual’s difficulties or impairment in areas that may affect their ability to work, return to work, learn and/or function daily. Areas assessed can include attention, memory, thought processing, planning/organizing, problem solving, learning, impulsivity and emotional regulation, adaptability, and ability to tolerate multiple demands.
    • Psychometric assessments and treatment planning for individual employees with substance use and abuse challenges.
  • MENTAL HEALTH CASE CONSULT/MANAGEMENT
    Consultation, intervention, and support for managers dealing with concerns or cases involving employees with psychological injuries, mental health issues/illness, and/or substance use that are impairing their work functionality, performance, and/or conduct.
  • RETURN-TO-WORK ASSESSMENT AND SUPPORT FOR PSYCHOLOGICAL INJURIES
    Development and administration (or review on the employer’s behalf, if a WCB claim has been filed) of a psychological injury assessment, treatment/support, and accommodation plan to ensure that the employee’s psychological condition is being attended to in an objective, prompt, and effective manner.
  • INDIVIDUAL THERAPY & SUPPORT
    Individual therapy and support to strengthen resiliency, develop coping and rebuilding strategies, and enhance recovery for:

    • Employees who have sustained psychological injuries
    • Employees dealing with mental health and/or substance abuse issues
    • Employees dealing with personal and/or relational issues
  • MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT FOR EXECUTIVE OFFICERS
    Individual mental health maintenance and support for executive leaders dealing with the stressors of leading an organization, operational and business growth difficulties, major organizational transition, workplace conflicts or relationship difficulties, mental health or substance use issues, personal relationship and intimacy problems, family problems, major life changes, financial problems, etc.
  • PSYCHOLOGICAL SUPPORT FOR EMPLOYEES ON LEAVE & REINTEGRATION BACK TO WORK
    Individual/group sessions of mental health maintenance for employees currently on extended leave (e.g. due to maternity or parental needs, illness or injury, compassionate care, personal role transition etc.). Foci will be on dealing with isolation, disengagement from work, life adjustments, confidence and skills deterioration, keeping engaged while on leave as well as psychological preparation for reintegration back to work after an extended leave.
  • EXIT PREPARATION & SUPPORT
    Individual mental and emotional preparation and for retirement or exit.

OUR PEOPLE, YOUR ADVANTAGE

Each of our associates, therapists, service partners in this domain have expertise in different dimensions of wellness and together, they can provide multi-disciplinary interventions and support that clients would need to deal with their issues and concerns in a holistic manner.

For service and support contact us today.

 

Unmitigated mental health issues in the workplace can have long term and very costly implications. Key statistics include the following:

  • According to Canadian Mental Health Association, in any given year, 1 in 5 people in Canada (equates to 7.5 million Canadians in 2018) will personally experience a mental health problem or illness. By age 40, about 50% of Canadians will have or have had a mental illness. A2017 Sun Life Financial’s national survey on mental health found that while nearly half of all Canadians (49%) have experienced a mental health issue that have impacted their lives, only 28% of working Canadians living with a mental health issue have spoken to their employer about it.
  • The staggering economic cost of workplace stress and related mental health issues to the public and industry (lost productivity) to the Canadian economy has grown steadily to well over $51 billion Over the next 30 years, the total cost to the Canadian economy will have added up to more than 2.5 trillion.
  • About 21.4% of the working population in Canada currently experience mental health problems and illnesses, which can affect their productivity. In the workplace, issues with unattended mental health concerns can cost Canadian businesses more than $6 billion in a given year in lost productivity from absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover. A 2014 study involving over 1000 employees across different industries found that over 80% of respondents have gone into work when they were not able to perform as well as they would have liked and there is indication that lost productivity from such presenteeism – time spent at the workplace while not productively engaged in work – is 7.5 times greater, possibly costing Canadian businesses much more than $6 billion a year.
  • Mental health problems and illnesses also account for approximately 30% of short and long-term disability claimsand are rated one of the top three drivers of claims by more than 80% of Canadian employers.
  • Some key driversof absenteeism and presenteeism reported are physical sickness, stress and anxiety, depression, and issues related to one’s work, work environment, co-workers, or managers. A 2017 World Health Organization (WHO) research report indicates that depression and anxiety is estimated to have cost the global economy is US$ 1 trillion per year in lost productivity.

One’s wellness is actually made up of multiple dimensions. In many cases, an employee who is having difficulties in one dimension (e.g. social) could also experience negative effects in other dimensions (e.g. physical and emotional), resulting in them facing more challenges and being less able to function or perform optimally. As such, a holistic approach to caring for employees’ multiple dimensions of wellness will likely be more effective in strengthening their resiliency to cope with life stressors, remain productive, and realize their potential. With appropriate intervention and effective support, not only can employees’ wellness and productivity be directly enhanced, there can also be significant return on investment:

  • A study led by World Health Organization estimated that for every USD $1 put into scaled up intervention and support for common mental issues, there is a return of USD $4 in improved health and productivity. Further research found that employees who receive direct intervention are 40% more likely to recover from depression.
  • Recent Deloitte analysis found that for every $1 invested in workplace mental health, the median yearly return for Canadian employers was $1.62, a figure that rises to $2.18 for programs that have been in place for three years or more.
  • A critical meta-analysis of the literature completed by Health Affairs concluded that “medical costs fall by about $3.27 for every dollar spent on appropriate wellness programs and absenteeism costs fall by about $2.73 for every dollar spent.” The Citibank Health Management Program reported an estimated savings of $4.50 in medical expenditures per dollar spent on medical prevention programs.
  • A 2014 survey by Virgin Pulse involving 361 organizations and 3,822 employees reported that 88% of employees describe “access to health and wellness programs as an important factor for defining an employer of choice.”
  • Research indicates that if we just reduce the number of people experiencing a new mental illness in a given year by 10%, after 10 years we could be saving the Canadian economy at least $4 billion a year.
The following are outlines of some of our featured workshops: