The Working Mind First Responders

Goals

• To support the mental health and wellbeing of first responders
• To enable the full productivity of employees
• To ensure the workplace is respectful and inclusive of all employees, including those with mental health problems and mental illness
• To encourage first responders to seek help for mental health problems and mental illness

Objectives

• To examine the effects of mental health problems and mental illness in the workplace
• To help first responders identify indicators of declining and poor mental health in themselves and others
• To introduce the concept of the Mental Health Continuum Model
• To review employees’, managers’, and employers’ mental health rights and responsibilities
• To provide strategies to maintain good mental health

Central Components

• The Mental Health Continuum Model, which categorizes one’s mental health within a continuum: green (healthy), yellow (reacting), orange (injured), and red (ill).
  • Allows individuals to identify indicators of declining or pool mental health in themselves, and others (without diagnostic labels and their associated stigma)
  • Stresses that individuals can move along the continuum; if one ends up in the red “ill” phase, he or she can move back towards the green “healthy phase”
  • Teaches the appropriate action one can take for themselves and for others at each point along the continuum.
• “Big 4” — a set of evidenced-based, cognitive behavioural therapy-based techniques that help individuals cope with stress and improve their mental health and resiliency. The Big 4 are positive self-talk, visualization, tactical breathing, and SMART goal setting.
• Research indicates that contact-based education is one of the best ways of reducing stigma. TWMFR includes custom videosof people with mental illnesses describing some of their experiences with mental illness and stigma, as well as those who supported them and their journey to recovery. Click here to read our preliminary evaluations report.