Tag Archives: melbourne

Mental Health Prevention- What Does An Effective Prevention Program Entail?

Mental health conditions present substantial costs to organisations. However, through the successful implementation of an effective program to create a mentally healthy workplace, organisations, on average, can expect a positive return on investment (ROI) of 2.3. That is, for every dollar spent on prevention programs, there is an average return of $2.30 gained by the organisation.

So what does an effective prevention program entail?

A two-tiered training program is an essential strategy for delivering better mental health outcomes for managers and all employees. A program that does not also provide self-care and psychological resilience training for all employees will be ineffective. This top-down approach provides the necessary prevention tools for self-awareness and self-regulation and supports long-term mental health on an emotional and psychological level. This combined approach to both mindful leadership training, as well as mental health awareness training, assists managers with supporting employees mindfully, positively and effectively.

The objective of our mindful leadership program is to improve mindfulness and emotional intelligence related to self-care as well as leading, managing and supporting employees. The training helps strengthen and develop the communication and trust between team managers and staff members. Managers learn evidence-based practices and tools for the cultivation of self-regulation and resilience, which also assists them with enhancing their own self-awareness and leadership skills.

Mindful Manager Training for a Mentally Healthy Workplace

In 2018 we conducted a pilot study of our Mindful Leadership Training with Child Protection at the Department of Health and Human Services. Here are the results:

  • 94% Found the training very enjoyable and engaging.
  • 100% Found the training useful in understanding stress reactivity and how to recognise when stress is building.
  • 98% Agree the tools provided in the training pack will be useful for the workplace.
  • 94% Feel the tools they have learnt will help them remain calm and in control when faced with difficult or challenging situations and feel better equipped to recognise habitual thought and behaviour patterns.
  • 92% Agree the training was helpful in developing their skills as a leader (e.g. mindful listening, non-judgment, effective communication, building trust).
  • 90% Have a greater understanding of the benefits of mindfulness and its role at work and at home.
  • 90% Have learnt effective ways to minimise distractions and improve concentration and focus.
  • 92% Feel more confident strengthening relationships and trust in their team.
  • 80% Agree the training has helped them be a more positive leader and role model in the workplace.
  • 90% Feel more confident integrating mindfulness practices into team meetings (if applicable).
  • 80% Feel better equipped to process difficult or strong emotions.
  • 82% Feel more able to recognise the early signs of distress, poor mental health and mental illness.
  • 84% Feel more confident supporting a distressed team member immediately and following an emotional crisis or difficult event.

A course outline is available upon request. I look forward to continuing discussions around supporting the long-term mental health of employees within your organisation.

Mindful May- Create A Resilient Workplace

Mindful May is approaching fast. Have you made plans yet?

This May we are committed to building mentally healthy, resilient workplaces throughout Melbourne and regional Victoria. Join Engage Health as we deliver a 4 Week Psychological Resilience program in your workplace.

Course Overview

This 4- week program will teach employees practical tools and techniques for stress reduction, emotional regulation and psychological resilience. With themes and evidence-based practices from our signature eight week attention training program, participants will learn effective strategies for improved mental health, coping with stress, remaining composed during times of difficulty and how to be fully present in their work and home life.

*One workshop will be held each week in May at your office/site. Each workshop is approximately one hour in duration.

Week 1

Introduction to Attention Training

  • What is mindfulness?
  • Creating a self-awareness.
  • Using the breath as an anchor to calm the mind.
  • Minimising internal distractions.

Week 2

Neuroplasticity & Habits

  • The science behind attention training and mindful practice.
  • Hard-wiring happiness. (The brain that changes itself).
  • The importance of pleasant awareness, positivity and gratitude.

Week 3

The Stress Response

  • Learning to self-regulate and reduce reactivity.
  • Understanding the role of the amygdala.
  • Identifying early warning signs of stress, anxiety and mental illness.
  • Neurobiology of emotions.

Week 4

Self-Care & Resilience Tools

  • Outsmarting the stress response.
  • Eliciting the relaxation response.
  • Dealing with stress & difficult emotions/ pain/ sensations.
  • Mindful eating

Booking are now open for all organisations. Please email sally.cumming@engagehealth.com.au or call 0401358309 for more information.

The New Integrative Approach For Improving Mental Health & Resilience in the Workplace

As an organisation we are constantly seeking new and innovative ways to improve staff wellness, reduce psychological distress and prevent injuries. We have set ourselves ambitious targets to increase the number of Victorians reporting high levels of resilience, and of course the workplace is a key setting for this.

We needed to find an effective formula that produced beneficial results for staff, as well as tangible business outcomes.

Creating a program that was embedded within a context of both Mind/Body and Integrative Medicine, was the winning formula. We combined themes from both our corporate mindfulness program, ‘Wise’, as well as our injury prevention program, ‘Engage’, to create the ‘Wise Worker’ program. For the first time in my career I was inspired to create a program that could draw on both qualifications as an exercise physiologist and a mindfulness practitioner. Teaching evidence-based injury prevention practices as well as well-researched mindfulness interventions meant we could achieve the holistic results we were looking for.

Over the last few months we trialled this exciting new program at the Department of Health and Human Services with the Disability Support Carers. Eight houses were selected throughout Victoria and we have now completed all eight departments. We are absolutely thrilled with the results, the testimonials and the self-reported feedback. The core purpose of the program was to inspire staff members to create personal health goals to see how good they could feel in four weeks. The goal setting and individual health screening was a key component that led to the cultivation of positive health behaviours.

Over the course of four weeks participants were taught how to integrate and apply mindfulness into their everyday lives, as well as how they can protect themselves from pain and injuries at home and at work.

Through combined mindfulness training and body awareness practices, staff learnt how to illicit the relaxation response. This was a key component of the program, not only for reducing injury risk but also for reducing pain, tension and muscle tightness. Suppression of the sympathetic nervous system and physiological stress response was also effective in improving digestion, increasing energy levels, and improving flexibility, blood flow and circulation. Mindful movement and guided injury prevention exercises were tailored specifically to assist in the prevention of wear and tear injuries due to postural dysfunction. Staff were encouraged to perform manual handling tasks with mindful awareness so they could slow down and perform the tasks correctly with proper posture and ergonomic equipment.

Disability support workers have a difficult and constant role. Work in helping professions can be incredibly rewarding, but also very challenging. Usually there is a focus on looking after others before themselves. For many support workers the idea of self-regulation and self-nourishment is a new concept, so this was a vital component of the program. Through mindfulness and breath work, staff were able to bring some calmness, clarity and appreciation back into their day. Teaching staff how to anchor themselves amidst the pull of turbulence in their lives helps them build the capacity to accept, tolerate and transform painful mind and body states without reacting so intensely to them.

When our body and our mind are working efficiently we feel great. Mood and workplace morale is improved and performance is enhanced. Educating staff using this combined approach to both mind and body training is one that we are pleased to say has been incredibly effective. We look forward to continuing this exciting new work with other professions in the near future.

Discover Proven Strategies to Reduce Stress & Increase Resilience (With FREE Corporate Massage)

Discover Proven Strategies to Reduce Stress & Increase Resilience (With FREE Corporate Massage!)

Introducing a workplace stress resilience program like no other… A program for both the mind and body that combines neuroplasticity training with massage.

We are delighted to announce our new partnership with Healthify and to celebrate we are offering our Wise mindfulness 8 Week program with the inclusion of FREE corporate massage for all participants!

Why are we doing this? We are passionate about inspiring employees, executives and senior management teams to be calmer, happier and more mindful because we’ve seen the results of burnout.

What is the Wise program? The Wise program is an 8 week mindfulness-based stress resilience program specifically tailored for the workplace. With mindfulness-based interventions and themes derived from the popular and well-researched Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) program, it is the only program of its kind to be available in the workplace.

Having completed a recent pilot study, the Wise program has been proven to increase both physical and psychological well-being, focus and productivity. This holistic program teaches proven easy-to-implement strategies and tools to improve communication, cope with stress, deal with challenges and be more psychologically resilient.

5 reasons to run the Wise program at your workplace:

1.      Enhanced mental performance. Improved focus, memory, concentration, learning ability and creativity.

2.      Improve resilience and how employees cope with stress, change and challenges. Our recent pilot study of 120 staff resulted in 93% of participants coping better with difficult or stressful situations.

3.      Increased business productivity. After participating in our course executives and employees are better able to deal with challenges with grace, and learn how to be fully present and happy with a stable mind.

4.      Improved health. Reduce anxiety, high blood pressure, migraines, depression, heart conditions, and diabetes. Noticeable improvements were also seen in sleep.

5.      Increased confidence. Mindfulness practice has been shown to enhance resilience, emotional intelligence and inner wisdom, resulting in improved confidence.

To book the Wise Program with free massage call us on 0401358309 or email info@engagehealth.com.au. 

We look forward to helping you reduce stress and increase performance at your workplace.

Executive Coaching – A HEAD for Work

Focus. Attention. Connection. At Ease. 

Distraction, Disattention, Disconnection, “Dis-ease”.

Executives are constantly “on”. There is very little escape from the constantly frantic 24/7 world. The result can be burnout – both physically and mentally. Compelling science is now confirming ancient wisdom: mindfulness training enhances mental performance, reduces stress and produces favourable business outcomes, making the ability to develop mindfulness one of the most important skills of the 21st century.

Cultivating Excellence – Wise Leadership

Many leading companies around the world are recognising the benefits of mindful leadership coaching. Modern leadership is about how well we use our minds and the quality of our relationships with others. Rather than simply focusing on business as usual, innovative organisations are turning to mind fitness and inner skills as a way of promoting the capacity to thrive and flourish.

Mindful leaders are authentic and real. They understand how to respond wisely to stress and learn the skills to allow more intelligent and creative choices in challenging situations. Mindful leaders learn the skills necessary to create high quality relationships, rather than a culture of stress.

The Wise Choice

With almost three decades of published research the benefits of mindfulness are well documented. Scientific research has shown that an 8 week mindfulness meditation course can lead to structural brain changes in grey-matter density in the hippocampus, known to be important for learning and memory and in structures associated with self-awareness, compassion and introspection.

Our mindfulness-based stress resilience program ‘Wise’ is an inspiring 8 week program which will help employees improve their self-awareness, self-management and self-regulation. Tailored to the workplace, it has specifically been developed to help participants develop the inner wisdom required for generating mental, physical and psychological resilience and positive change.

The Wise Program improves an individual’s awareness and attention, develops greater focus and emotional intelligence, and improves cognitive function and performance. The mindfulness attitudes and qualities create greater performance, compassion and discernment to help individuals and organisations flourish.

More information about our Mindful Leadership/ Executive Coaching program can be found at www.engagehealth.com.au/wise Alternatively, you can call 0401 358 309 or send us an email. We look forward to connecting with you.

Be Mindful. Be Present. Be Wise.