5 Tips for Starting the Conversation this Time to Talk Day
Mental health problems affect one in four of us, yet too many people are made to feel isolated and ashamed about it.
Time to Talk Day encourages everyone to be more open about mental health – to talk, listen and change lives.
Insight Healthcare have put together 5 tips for starting a conversation around Mental Health:
- Don’t assume or make assumptions - allow the other person to hear you out, or hear them out
- Choose the right environment for the conversation – it’s important to feel safe and comfortable.
- Talk about your own experiences to help normalise – this can help the person not feel so isolated or like the ‘odd one out’.
- Empathise – by taking part in someone's feelings through imagining how they might feel, it can help them feel understood and heard.
- Active listening is enough - don’t feel there is anything you should or shouldn’t say. Showing you are hearing someone shows you are interested and care, they won’t expect you to fix anything.
Want to know more?
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) is an NHS service established in 2008, and together we support people with mental health needs who are accessing talking therapies.
Futures' job is work with those who are experiencing employment-related difficulties. Our team of dedicated careers advisers work directly with Insight Healthcare, to allow them to provide as much support as they can at such a difficult time in their lives. From those signed off sick, unhappy in their current role, those who are unemployed or people who may be struggling with workplace bullying. If you'd like to find out more about Insight or access help, just click here.
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