Melissa Doman - Yes, You Can Talk About Mental Health at Work: Heres Why... and How to Do it Really Well

A Trigger Book

Published by Welbeck Balance

An imprint of Welbeck Publishing Group

20 Mortimer Street

London W1T 3JW

First published by Welbeck Balance in 2021

Copyright Melissa Doman, 2021

Melissa Doman has asserted her right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the Author of this work.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owners and the publishers.

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

US eBook ISBN: 978-1-80129-036-4

UK eBook ISBN: 978-1-78956-304-7

Typeset by Lapiz Digital Services

Note/Disclaimer

Welbeck Balance encourages diversity and different viewpoints. However, all views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in this book are the authors own and are not necessarily representative of Welbeck Publishing Group as an organization. All material in this book is set out in good faith for general guidance; no liability can be accepted for loss or expense incurred in following the information given. In particular, this book is not intended to replace expert medical or psychiatric advice. It is intended for informational purposes only and for your own personal use and guidance. It is not intended to diagnose, treat or act as a substitute for professional medical advice. Professional advice should be sought if desired before embarking on any health-related program.

www.welbeckpublishing.com

This book will challenge your thinking. Whether youre a CEO or have just embarked on your first few weeks in the working world or anything in between, this book is for you. Its intensely practical, with clear and concise pointers to help us all on our journey with talking about mental health at work. Informative and thought-provoking, this book is a must-read.

Jonny Combe, UK CEO, PayByPhone

With compassion and authority, Melissa addresses the real issues and barriers of why people arent comfortable sharing about mental health at work, and how to overcome those fears. She highlights so clearly that everyone has mental health, just as we have physical health, and the importance of vocalizing this similarity.

Julie Cassidy, Director of Sales East, North America, Bumble and Bumble

Ive been working in the people space for more than 20 years. When I began my career, talking about mental health in the workplace was just not done. Two decades later, I had hoped we would normalize the discussion. Were not there yet, but with Melissas book, we might get there. This is a playbook for how to have some of the most difficult discussions imaginable at work. And, it just may help you help to change the world of work.

Tracie Sponenberg, Chief People Officer at The Granite Group, Co-Founder of DisruptHR NH, and Co-Founder of HR Rebooted

This revolutionary book removes the guesswork and minimizes the uncomfortable nature of having conversations about mental health at work. Melissa leverages her clinical expertise and research-based evidence to provide practical guidance for creating psychologically safe workplaces. After reading this book, I felt informed and empowered. This book will forever change the stigma and negative narratives associated with mental health in the workplace. It should be required reading for Human Resources Management courses.

Ricklyn Woods, SHRM-SCP, SPHR, PHRCa, Owner of Ricklyn Woods HR Coaching + Consulting

This book is a timely and powerful resource for leaders at all levels that are seeking to truly impact their teams at a deeper level with authenticity, empathy and genuine care for their mental wellbeing. Leading organizations recognize that to truly transform their systems, workforce and, ultimately, profitability, they need to allow for courageous conversations about mental health. Melissa does a great job of outlining actionable steps that are practical for such a complex topic that impacts all of us.

Csar A. Lostaunau, Director of Growth Markets/D&I at CENTURY 21, and Faculty Member, DEI Coaching Center, The Forum on Workplace Inclusion

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Melissa Doman, M.A. is an Organizational Psychologist, former Clinical Mental Health Therapist, and Mental Health at Work Specialist.

Following years of clinical work as a licensed mental health therapist in employee-assistance program, private practice and university settings, Melissa left the clinical sector and turned her focus to consulting and speaking in the worlds of organizational psychology and mental health awareness at work with one goal in mind: to equip companies, individuals, and leaders to have constructive conversations about mental health in the workplace.

Melissa has spoken, presented, and consulted for international, national, and local organizations and Fortune 500 companies across industries and across the globe including Salesforce, Legal & General, Charlotte Tilbury, the NHS, and the Independent Publishers Guild. Melissa has been featured as a subject matter expert in national conferences, global summits, international mentoring programs, digital publications, and local television shows. Melissa uses her former clinical experience and current organizational psychology work to inform her practical and solution-focused approach that she uses in her work with companies.

Melissa has impacted thousands of people through her work and is determined to bring the topic of mental health at work to the forefront of everyones minds in business around the world.

She currently resides in the USA with her husband Matt and their rescue dog Lola. Her hobbies include traveling, salsa dancing, singing, drinking a lot of coffee, and eating lots of cheese.

To my husband. I couldnt have written this book without your support. Thank you for always being by my side.

CONTENTS

PROLOGUE

Im not surprised that I ended up writing this book; Im only surprised it took me this long. Between the stories I have heard socially, professionally and clinically, and what I experienced personally, I could write an encyclopedic series.

Before I studied counselling psychology and became a clinical mental health therapist, I distinctly remember that mental health wasnt talked about at work. This wasnt even that long ago think early 2000s. This sadly faulty logic also applied in many families, schools, and other social systems for a long time.

For years, mental health was seen as a personal issue that wasnt meant for the world of work, and if you were smart, you kept it out of there. I always thought that was odd, given that we literally bring our entire bodies and our brains to work (whether to a physical building or virtually) and we dedicate 3550 hours a week to the cause.

I remember thinking that it seemed utterly unreasonable and unrealistic to expect people to leave their thoughts and feelings outside of work. Sadly, like many people at the time, I accepted it as the social norm, dictating that I should fall in line with this socially created compartmentalization.

I heard countless stories from co-workers, friends, or even strangers, about how they were sure that if their boss found out how much they had been struggling with their mental health, theyd lose their job. It felt disappointing every time I heard it. As time passed on and society progressed, even after getting my masters degree in counselling psychology and clinical training, I continued to hear stories of fear from those around me. Nothing had changed, yet.