One step ahead with Psychological Safety
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Written by David Contarini, Peak Wellness Program Trainer and Professional Counsellor
As a therapist, you'd think I'd have my 'house' in order, right? You know, confident, emotionally regulated, purposeful...? Well, perhaps on the outside I may be these things to those who know me but for many years I was anything but. You see for a large part of my life I have NOT been 'King David' (as my late uncle used to affectionately call me!). In fact, I was not even a minute, itsy-bitsy speck in the mind's eye of the second King of Ancient Israel. Inside, I was more like ‘David the Imposter’. ‘David the Loser’. ‘David the Nobody’.
Every day, as sure as the sun would rise, the thoughts inside my head did a stellar job of picking me up and beating the hell out of me. It called me a bad father; told me I should be earning way more and reminded me with a slap of the face that I wouldn't amount to much. It brutally compared me to my friends, had me desperately clinging to the past and just loved predicting a future where I marinated in loathing and self-doubt. The result was a lifetime spent trying to escape, avoid, run from, hide, forget, think-away and beat-off an army of unhelpful thoughts, feelings, urges, sensations, and memories. Sound familiar? Welcome to humanity.
We all deal with unhelpful thoughts and feelings because we're human. And being human means to suffer (just in case you didn't know that already!). Yet to suffer is to experience the full rainbow of what life has to offer because without sadness there is no happiness. They are two sides of the same coin. Of course, it's not all bad and as Forest Gump said – “Life is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're gonna get”. The trick is not to do what I tried to do - that is: to distract, to opt out, to think away or indeed, drown out my distress, but something that may seem entirely counter-intuitive. I got down to the business of 'making room' for them - treating them as just a stream of thoughts not to be struggled with and not to be obeyed. Dropping the struggle meant I could start investing my time and energy into what really mattered - building a life of meaning and confidence.
It seems I was not alone in my suffering. Did you know that 1 in 5 Australians experience a psychological health disorder1 with 1 in 10 suffering depression and 1 in 4 suffering anxiety at some point in their life2. Suicide rates for men are still three times that of women, with the average age of suicide being 43 years3.
These statistics also provide insight into the importance of addressing the mental health of all Australians….and the best place to start is at work.
Under the Work Health and Safety Act 2011, a person conducting a business, has a primary duty to ensure, so far as reasonably practicable, to provide both the physical and psychological health and safety of their workers4.
Previously, the management of psychosocial risks has been unregulated in Australian workplaces. However, with the rising frequency and costs of psychological injuries, and after multiple WHS legislation reviews, State and Territory Ministers have committed to introducing regulations across Australia to elevate psychological health and safety to the same level as physical health and safety.
These new regulations recognise that hazards which pose a risk to psychological health and safety (psychosocial hazards) are just as harmful to workers as physical hazards. These regulations will also provide clearer guidance to employers on their obligations to better protect workers from mental illness and injury.
Regulations are currently in various stages across the country, with Victoria being the most advanced. Other states will follow.
In comparison to other injuries, psychological injuries can be some of the costliest. According to SafeWork Australia statistics, the average cost of a psychological injury claim has risen 222% over the last 20 years, reaching $45,900 in 2018-195. This was more than three times the average amount for all other serious injury claims ($12,433)5. This is largely due to the time of recovery which is much longer, with claims of a psychological nature having an average duration of 26.6 weeks in 2018-19, compared to 7.3 for all other injury claims5.
By building awareness of mental health in the workplace clearly making good business sense, Peak Services is offering the Respond with Resilience 3-hour interactive and engaging mental health workshop to help all employees recognise and manage the unhelpful thoughts and feelings which we all experience and which can negatively affect our personal and professional lives. Employees are taught best practice strategies that can be used in every life domain including work, relationships, and health.
The Respond with Resilience workshop provides essential skills in dealing with difficult thoughts and feelings to live a more meaningful and values-centred life and increase whole-of-life productivity. Participants will learn:
- How to notice and neutralise unhelpful thoughts and feelings - anxiety, fear, sadness, guilt - that cause distress in our everyday lives
- New skills to lessen the impact and influence of our difficult thoughts.
- How to recognise negative avoidant behaviours which move us away from optimal living.
- Identify important values in our work, health, and family domains.
- Strategies to help live by these values, open and connect with others.
View course outline Download enrolment form
Other webinars in the Wellness and Wellbeing workshops include Change Your Thinking and Dropping Anchor and Role Calrity Co-Lab
This half day workshop sits more within the frame work of SafeWork Australia in the obligation of workplaces to provide employees with role clarity. In this workshop David will work with managers and staff to define individual work roles in a separate and more detailed document outside of the employee's job description.
What people say about David's training:
“Wow that was so good!! It would have to be one of the best training sessions Council has offered. Trainer was amazing and that made all the difference". Livingstone Shire Council
“Peak EXCEEDED requirements” Livingstone Shire Council
“I honestly do not think you could improve anything for that particular topic!” Toowoomba Regional Council
For more information on any of these courses, please email Patricia Paolini ppaolini@wearepeak.com.au or phone 0407 966 716.
1 https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/mental-health-services/mental-health accessed 21/10/22
2 https://www.beyondblue.org.au/the-facts/anxiety accessed 21/10/22
3 https://www.abs.gov.au/articles/one-five-australians-has-mental-or-behavioural-condition
4WHS Act 2011, Division 6, Schedule 3.4 Protection and welfare of workers https://www.legislation.qld.gov.au/view/pdf/inforce/current/act-2011-018 page 258 accessed 21/10/22
5 https://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au/sites/default/files/2021-11/Final%20Australian%20Workers%20%20Compensation%20Statistics%202019-20.pdf page 50 accessed 21/10/22