Employees often find that it is hard to address workplace mental health issues at work on their own. They often feel isolated due to the stigma of mental illness, afraid of having a discussion with their supervisor or union rep about what they are going through for fear of discrimination. They may feel overwhelmed with trying to access effective treatment while staying productive at work. Many employers provide EAP service to employees, but these services have limitations on how effective they are in helping employees overcome work-specific barriers in the disbility claim process and the workplace accommodation process. Workplace peer support specialists are people who have the lived experience of mental illness and who also have experience and expertise in helping employees overcome these workplace barriers.
Research has shown that peer support breaks down stigma, oppression and discrimination through the action of hearing people say, “Like you, I am one of ‘those people’ too.” It provides hope and understanding to someone suffering from a mental illness that cannot be provided by someone who has no personal experience of the condition.
Mental Health Works offers a support service to employees who wish to have access to a Workplace Peer Support Specialist, through web based question and answer, and will be looking in the future to strengthen our capacity to deliver a wider range of services to employees.
Many workplaces in Canada are considering building workplace peer support programs internally to deliver in-person support, or using an external service. MHW consults with organizations to ensure workplace readiness and strategic planning needs. The value of peer support is irrefutable—it is a benefit to those who are recovering from mental health issues, and can be an extremely valuable service to add to workplace strategies.
Mental Health Works is working collaboratively with the Mental Health Commission of Canada’s Peer Project to bring workplace peer support to organizations in Canada.
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contact us.
