The statistics are sobering: one in five Australians are estimated to have experienced a mental disorder in the past year, and this rises to more than two in five over the course of their lifetimes.

Lifeline Adelaide workplace and community training advisor Alexandra Lauterbach has been delivering training workshops to workplaces and the wider community for several years and said there is a need for greater focus on mental health wellbeing and resilience at work.

“It’s important to understand that we’re whole people and that with our personal and work life there is crossover,” Lauterbach said.

“If we’re not doing well mentally, whether that’s due to our personal life or our work life, it affects both.”

She said workplaces should create processes for staff to seek support – “regardless of whether it’s a workplace or personal issue” – that could be supported by organisation-wide training in mental health wellbeing.

Local law firm Finlaysons recently turned to Lifeline Adelaide to conduct a workshop on the topic for 80 of their clients.

Finlaysons business development manager Lettie Thwaites said Finlaysons’ wanted to promote healthy workplaces not just to their own staff but clients too,  and draw on the particular knowledge and training skills of Lifeline Adelaide.

“It was such a great opportunity to present the content to an audience that may not have the time to sit back and consider their own mental health,” Thwaites said.

“The issue can be pushed to the side, which is a shame. There are stats out there saying that the law profession is highly stressful and very susceptible to mentally unhealthy workplaces.”

Lauterbach agreed, however she said those in professional careers were not the only ones who could experience a mental disorder.

“No one’s immune from a mental health issue or experiencing a crisis in their life,” she said.

“Anybody can have that happen to them, regardless of their background, education or experiences prior to a situation occurring.

“In relation to suicide, we absolutely know that those in professional roles can be at higher risk. But we also know that anybody can have thoughts of suicide.

“Our message is always that you can’t make any assumptions because often those most at risk are hiding [the warning signs].

“We think they’re okay but, underneath it all, they’re not.”

She said Lifeline Adelaide’s Mental Health Wellbeing workshop focused on each participant’s own mental health, engaging them in self-reflection after exploring concepts such as stress, burnout and mental health.

The not-for-profit also runs an Accidental Counsellor workshop that “acknowledges from time to time, we might find ourselves in a position where we need to support someone who is emotionally distressed or experiencing crisis”.

Lauterbach said having the skills to actively listen and to demonstrate compassion and empathy meant people could support colleagues, friends or family in the first instance before referring them for professional help.

“We know from our crisis phone service that people using these skills can really support and help those who are distressed,” she said.

Finlaysons’ Thwaites said feedback from clients attending their workshop underlined the usefulness of the material.

“We’ve had feedback that people were able to see in themselves behaviours that they hadn’t known how to address, and now they have the tools to recognise what is going on in their minds and to seek help,” she said.

“Additionally, they were able to observe other colleagues’ behaviour and do something meaningful about it, rather than leave them to go through it alone.”

Within Finlaysons she said there had a been a cultural change, with staff being more comfortable in talking about mental health.

“It has allowed better conversations, more dialogue and better trust between employees thanks to this new understanding,” she said.

Lifeline Adelaide is a service of Uniting Communities. In March this year, the crisis support service notched up 60 years of providing crisis support and suicide prevention services to those experiencing emotional distress.

Its workshops are open to small business people and individuals in the community, as well as larger companies or government departments.

Lauterbach said workplaces that focus on mental health being see multiple benefits, including financial.

“For every dollar spent to improve mental health at work, a business can achieve a return of up to $4 through improved productivity and savings from reduced worker compensation,” she said.

“Other benefits are increased productivity, better employee engagement and retention, and reduced absenteeism and presenteeism.

“It also leads to enhanced team dynamics, because a supportive work environment that acknowledges and respects mental health also fosters positive relationships among its team members.”

Regarding the signs that oneself or a work colleague may be struggling or in crisis, Lauterbach said these could include not turning up to work, communicating differently, or not ‘seeming themselves’.

She said regularly connecting with colleagues means an informal process can be in place that allows them to receive help.

“If they’re going okay, that’s great and they’ll appreciate that you’ve taken the time to talk with them.

“But if they’re not going okay, you really have an opportunity to really support them.

“What we say is – connecting with people, your efforts are never lost.”

Find out about Lifeline Adelaide Workplace & Community Training – contact the team on (08) 8202 5177 or [email protected]. Learn more about the courses at www.lifelineadelaide.org.  

If you are experiencing distress, you can get support 24/7 from Lifeline Adelaide via phone 13 11 14, text 0477 13 11 14, or online chat.