The Workplace Mental Health Toolkit is a self-help tool, available to all CHFT colleagues. This week, based on feedback, the toolkit has been updated with accessibility videos and embedded worksheets.

To help colleagues understand more about the toolkit, we have been speaking to Our Consultant Workforce Psychologist, Dr Rebecca (Beckie) Yeates, who has been behind the development of The Workplace Mental Health Toolkit and Dr Jessica MacIntyre-Holt, Clinical Psychologist, Dr Heather Langham, Principal Clinical Psychologist, and Elle Colbeck, Assistant Psychologist who have been supporting the project.

The team also share how people can get involved with helping develop a brand new seventh chapter in the toolkit for line managers to support their colleagues.

How would you describe ‘mental health’?

“Mental health is a word we all use, but we possibly mean different things when we say it. I consider it to be an inner experience made up of how we view ourselves, the world around us and then how these two things impact how we feel and act.”

Why should mental health matter to every colleague?

“I don’t see mental health to be either ‘good’ or ‘bad’ but instead, that our mental health can either feel in or out of balance. When we’re in balance, we can feel engaged and connected with our life and work. This feels good; it makes our life, relationships and work feel fulfilling and meaningful.  But, when we’re out of balance we can feel emotionally exhausted, distracted, and disconnected. Imbalances in our mental health happen to us all, it’s part of being human, but they can take us away from what matters to us most, including our work.”

Can you explain what the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit is and when colleagues should use it?

“Imbalances in our mental health can happen for many reasons. The main thing to remember is that they can happen to everyone and that we all face similar challenges trying to rebalance. We created the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit to give all colleagues equal access to advice from a Clinical Psychologist, on how to rebalance and reconnect with what matters to us most. 

“You can use the toolkit when you feel in balance to prepare for a time when you are not, or if you’re already feeling an imbalance that you want help with.”

What has been updated in the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit?

“The Staff Psychology Service are really pleased to share that in response to user feedback, we have made some key updates to the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit which we hope will widen access and allow you to tailor the resource to your mental health needs.

“Firstly, we have added accessibility videos to the end of each of the six chapters in which we have audio recorded the content for you, in case reading the text in the toolkit presents any challenges.

“Secondly, we have added some downloadable worksheets in which we invite you to apply key concepts to your own life circumstances. We hope these worksheets will offer you with opportunities to extend your personal learning even further.

“We hope these updates are useful to you – please do get in touch with us at StaffPsychologyService@cht.nhs.uk if you think the toolkit could be improved in any way. We are always grateful for feedback or suggestions!”

Tell us about the new seventh chapter and how you would like colleagues to get involved.

“We’ve shared two updates to the toolkit we’ve already made, but we have another in preparation that we need your help with!

“Through our work supporting colleagues in CHFT we have learnt that the line manager and employee relationship can be an important anchor and source of connection when colleagues are either struggling to be at work or taking some time away from their job.

“We want line managers to have access to tailored information and advice about how they can navigate the challenges that can arise for colleagues when they’re struggling with their mental health at work. So, we’re developing a new seventh chapter to the Digital Workplace Mental Health Toolkit, specifically designed for line managers where we aim to do just that. 

"To do this, we need your help. We want this chapter to have colleague experience at the heart so we would really appreciate hearing about your experiences of being supported by a line manager through a mental health challenge at work. You can have your say by completing a short survey. We think it will take around 10 minutes to complete.

What feedback have you heard from colleagues so far?

“We have had some wonderful feedback from colleagues. These two from Julie and Allison demonstrate the impact it is having.”

“From line managing a significant amount of people over my career I recognise that not everyone wants to talk - the value of self-help tools, like the Workplace Mental Health Toolkit, cannot be underestimated”- Julie Mellor

“I think the toolkit is excellent; I found it very easy to read, captivating , welcoming and non-threatening. I think every member of staff would benefit from reading the toolkit”- Allison Lowe

Pictured from left to right are: Beckie, Elle, Heather and Jess.