It's Mental Health Awareness Week and to support our colleagues our Trust is launching a new Workplace Mental Health Toolkit. You can access the toolkit here: https://cht.pagetiger.com/cdcnwds/1 

The toolkit is designed for colleagues who may experience difficulties with their mental health at work. One of the main barriers to accessing help and support is knowing where to go for up-to-date and accessible help from a registered mental health professional. This self-help toolkit aims to bridge that gap.  

The workplace mental health toolkit has been developed to support you when you are experiencing either stress or distress and it’s related to your work role. However, there may be knowledge or skills you pick up along the way which can translate to your life outside of work too.

This toolkit isn’t just for colleagues who are struggling right now, it may also be useful for colleagues who may wish to know what to do if they experience challenges in the future.  

The toolkit is a self-help tool and not designed to treat significant and longer lasting mental health difficulties. Colleagues who are having this experience may find aspects of the toolkit helpful, but those having this experience are encouraged to speak to their General Practitioner (GP) in the first instance.

Inside the toolkit you’ll find information from a Clinical Psychologist about common mental health difficulties, what may underpin them and how to approach changes which may improve your mental health at work.

Who made/contributed to the toolkit

This mental health toolkit was created by Dr Rebecca Yeates from the CHFT Staff Psychology Service and is proudly supported by Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Charity, in partnership with NHS Charities Together.

Content of the toolkit

The toolkit aims to discuss five important topic areas using text, video and links to trusted external resources.  There are five chapters.

• Emotional regulation in the workplace
  • This chapter introduces colleagues to a popular theory of emotional regulation which discusses the importance of balance between threat, motivation and soothing feelings. 
• Low mood
  • This chapter, uses the emotional regulation model to understand where the experience of low mood comes from; what keeps it going; and, how to find a new path.
• Anxiety
  • This chapter discusses the anxiety loop. It includes what creates a loop; how avoiding what we are fearful of can keep the loop going; and, how to exit the loop.
• Distressing work events
  • This chapter covers encountering unexpected and distressing events at work. It discusses how the mind and body typically respond and how to take care of yourself after a challenging work event.
• Working together
  • This chapter discusses how we can apply some of what we’ve talked about so far to how we work with one another. It talks about how to respond to colleagues around us who may be struggling.
• Seeking help
  • This chapter introduces the different services that exist that can help with colleagues’ mental health. We talk about how they are different and what they can offer. There are also more links to external resources for the ideas and techniques we discuss in the other five chapters.