Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) “An evidence-based, early-intervention course”

Most of us would know how to help if we saw someone having a heart attack — we would start CPR or call 9-1-1. But too few of us would know how to respond if we saw someone having a panic attack or showing signs of alcohol use disorder.

Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to assist and support others who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge.

Public safety professionals face elevated levels of stress, trauma, and critical incidents. Studies, such as those by the Oxford Institute of Clinical Psychology Training and Research, reveal that police officers experience mental health problems at twice the rate of other first responders. This is often attributed to poor social support, occupational stress, and maladaptive coping strategies. It's crucial to intervene effectively, as untreated mental health challenges can impair decision-making, judgment, and situational awareness, jeopardizing both public and professional safety. According to a national study published by the Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 90% of police officers cite stigma as a barrier to seeking help.

Corrections professionals often confront elevated levels of stress, trauma, and critical incidents. Studies show that 37% of corrections officers experience mild to severe anxiety, 48% experience depression, and 50% experience post-traumatic stress symptoms. By providing the necessary support and resources, correctional facilities can help staff members cope with their unique challenges, reduce burnout, and promote a positive work environment that ultimately benefits both staff and the individuals they serve.

Reducing Workplace Stigma Around Mental Illness

The stigma surrounding mental illness can create a hostile environment for those suffering from these conditions. This is particularly true in high-stress professions such as corrections and public safety, where employees must constantly be on high alert. This stigma can lead to feelings of isolation and may prevent individuals from seeking the help they need. Implementing Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) in the workplace can help reduce this stigma by promoting understanding and empathy toward those dealing with mental health challenges.

By fostering a culture of acceptance and understanding, we can help break down the barriers that prevent individuals from seeking help. This benefits the individual and improves the workplace's overall productivity and morale.

Gaining Knowledge About Mental Health and Substance Use Challenges at Work

Understanding is the first step towards acceptance. The more we understand about mental health and substance use challenges, the better equipped we are to offer support and create an inclusive work environment. MHFA provides the necessary education to identify signs of mental illness and substance abuse. This knowledge can help in the early detection of these issues, facilitating intervention and support.

Knowledge empowers us to navigate the complexities of mental health and substance use issues with sensitivity and compassion. This understanding can lead to a more supportive and productive work environment.

Increasing Confidence in Helping Co-workers with the MHFA 5-Step Action Plan (ALGEE®)

The MHFA 5-Step Action Plan, also known as ALGEE®, provides a practical, hands-on approach to helping someone who may be experiencing a mental health or substance use challenge. The steps include Assessing risk, Listening non-judgmentally, Giving reassurance, Encouraging appropriate professional help, and Encouraging self-help strategies. This plan imparts the confidence to act in a potential crisis.

By implementing the ALGEE® plan, we can create a workplace where everyone feels supported and able to perform at their best despite the personal challenges they may be facing.

At Bauman Consulting Group (BCG), we're committed to supporting the wellbeing and security of those who serve our communities. With over 50 years of combined experience in criminal justice, our mission is to connect evidence-based practices to practical solutions for professionals. BCG consultants with extensive criminal justice qualifications deliver our Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.

If you're interested in learning more about Mental Health First Aid for Adults, Mental Health First Aid for Corrections Professionals, or Mental Health First Aid for Public Safety, don't hesitate to get in touch with us at 513-570-5474 or info@baumanconsultinggroup.com. Sign up for our current course, Mental Health First Aid for Adults, online at https://baumanconsultinggroup.com/marketplace/mhfa-aug22.

Give Thanks

We have all heard how essential it is to give thanks and be grateful for things we have in our lives, but sometimes gratitude can be challenging. In a little over a week, it will be the Thanksgiving holiday in the United States, so BCG is taking this opportunity to share some of the primary ways that we try to give thanks in our daily lives.

Be Present

Don’t let the moment escape you! Stopping when you feel that warmth of gratitude fills your body and acknowledging the goodness surrounding you is essential to finding what truly matters to you. Taking this opportunity to give thanks can turn your whole day around.

Send a Thank You Notes

Sending a note to say thank you can help you and your recipient a moment to reflect with gratitude. Of course, texts and emails count too, but a handwritten letter is a fun way to show others that you appreciate them.

Practice Patience

It is a work in progress, but being intentional in responding to others and exercising patience, can go a long way in gratitude practice. In addition, if we can realize that everyone is doing the best they can in their current situation, then extending some extra grace comes naturally.

Show Verbal Appreciation

When someone takes the time out of their day and helps another person, it is an act of giving. Even if the action is a part of their job, it is still a choice, and they choose to provide a service. So give thanks to those who help others, a simple “Thanks!” after the checkout line at a grocery can make all the difference.

Having thankful intentions does not have to be fancy or complicated. It does not have to take more than a couple of moments in your day. Once you form a habit, it can be something you do without trying, and that is when genuine gratitude surfaces because we develop a new perspective.

We compiled this list at BCG to start a conversation about how we all give thanks daily and begin a larger conversation about gratitude in our work lives. We hope that our customers and readers know how very much we appreciate them! Thank you for looking to BCG for your needs—we feel very grateful to work with amazing people and agencies. Keep your practice strong and your gratitude stronger; ’tis the season after all!

Fifteen Fun Healthy Workplace Competitions

Many organizations incorporate competitions into their workplace wellbeing programs. These competitions can be a way to engage employees, build teamwork, and bring a bit of fun into the workplace. In fact, research demonstrates that workplace wellbeing competitions can result in decreased absenteeism, reduced stress, and lower health care costs. These competitions can also increase job satisfaction, increase brain power and performance, improve employee sleep, increase employee retention, and foster team building. And these benefits can be found regardless of whether your employees are in the office or working from home.

Workplace challenges can be done on an individual basis, a department level, or even an overall team goal for the company. It’s always nice for there to be some sort of a prize associated with the challenge, but you can be creative and find inexpensive options. Have fun with it! For example, one company we work with bought an incredibly ugly blazer from a thrift shop. This blazer is passed from champion to champion after each wellness challenge. The employees love the honor of having the championship blazer hanging in their cubicle. Another company created a homemade trophy that is displayed in the winning department. Others provide gift cards, bonuses, gym memberships, and self-care rewards to winning participants. Just remember to find a reward that is meaningful to your organization. 

There are a great number of well-being challenges that you can create for your workplace. Many require very little in the way of cost to the organization to run too. Here are fifteen different workplace challenges you can start at your organization to build the well-being of your colleagues.

 Physical Fitness Challenges

1.     Step to It – Challenge employees to get the most steps into their day. Many people now wear fitness tracking devices or can monitor their steps using their smart phone. Pedometers can be obtained inexpensively as well – and can be customized with your company logo! Set up the challenge to encourage the most steps in a given month by individual and/or department. You might consider a special reward for everyone if the entire company hits a certain number of steps. Partner this activity with encouragement for workers to walk on their breaks.

2.     Plank You Very Much – Planking is an exercise that is great for the core and can be done quickly and without any equipment at all. Employees can track the amount of time spent holding planks and compete for amount of time total over a given month as well as the longest time spent planking. This is a great one to use as a team building activity. Employees can earn bonus points for sharing photos of their planking in unique locations.

3.     Work it Out – Encourage employees to engage in any exercise activities that they enjoy and track the minutes spent doing those activities. This can be a great activity because it encourages individuals of any fitness level to participate at what they are most comfortable doing from simple stretching to running marathons. It’s also great opportunity to give out water bottles or other fitness items with the company logo on them.

Nutrition Challenges

4.     Drink Up – Encourage employees to drink the daily recommended 64 oz of water each day. They can track individual ounces or they can record the number of days that they hit the goal. Set up special water stations around the office with infused water (try water with citrus slices in it) or sparkling water to keep it interesting. It’s another great opportunity to get out those company water bottles!

5.     See Ya Later Soda – Help your employees say goodbye to their soda pop addiction by holding a challenge to give up their daily fix. Employees can record each day their abstained from drinking soda pop. Of course, this works best in offices where the soda drinking is common place. Other offices may find that their daily coffee run or morning doughnuts are where the employees wish to cut back. 

6.     Eat your Fruits and Veggies – Americans rarely get the recommended number of fruits and veggies in their diet, so challenge your employees to make it happen. Have them track the number of servings of fruits and veggies that they eat each day. Consider challenging for the greatest number possible or meeting the 5-a-day goal. Offering healthy snacks in the office like a veggie tray or a salad bar during this time can be a great way to encourage success. Employees may decide to go out to lunch at a local salad bar for some off-site bonding too!

Mindfulness Challenges

7.     Unplug and Unwind – Encourage employees to turn off their screens and spend time relaxing in other healthy ways. Employees can record the number of hours that they shut down electronics and read books, worked puzzles, gardened, etc. 

8.     Gratitude Goals – Have employees create a daily challenge to list three things that they are grateful for each day. Employees can earn points for each day that they complete the challenge. Consider a reward for a certain level of points earned for the company. Consider sending employee submitted thank you shout outs in a monthly email. 

9.     Meditation Minutes – Foster a more focused environment by encouraging employees to meditate daily. There are free apps like Insight Timer or Calm that can be used for those new to meditation (and those with experience too!). Consider a daily challenge of meditating for at least five minutes.

Giving Back Challenges

10.  Simple Acts of Kindness – Challenge employees to engage in simple act of kindness. Purchase a stranger’s coffee order. Carry an elderly person’s groceries for them. Cut your neighbor’s lawn. Small acts have a big effect on both the recipient and the giver.

11.  Community Cares – Volunteering is good for the community and for the heart. Set up a volunteer challenge for the departments at your workplace. Can each department engage in a monthly volunteer opportunity? These can include opportunities such as a departmental jog/walk in a charity 5K, visiting at a nursing home, beautifying the community, or serving at a soup kitchen. This is a great way to involve employees families as well!

Financial Challenges

12.  Feed the Piggy – Encourage employees to set aside a dollar a day to build their emergency savings account. While we know the importance of having six months of our salary set aside, most Americans aren’t even close to accomplishing that. See how creative your company can be at developing ideas for saving that extra money. Set a company-wide goal for the amount of total dollars saved.

13.  Home Chef – It’s not a surprise that it costs significantly more to eat dinner out than preparing a meal at home. And cooking at home can offer healthier options too! Challenge employees to cook at home and not dine out – offering incentives based on the number of days in a month they cook at home and avoid dining out. Send out weekly recipes to encourage and keep employees motivated. They’re waistline and their wallet with thank you!

General Well-Being Challenges

14.  Break a Bad Habit – Have employees identify a bad habit they have that they’d like to break or cut down on. Some may wish to stop smoking. Others may consider cutting back on alcohol. Others may decide that now is the time to stop procrastinating! Have the employee identify the habit that they’d like to change – and track their weekly progress. Form teams of those who are interested in changing similar bad habits to support and encourage one another.

15.  Get Some Shut Eye – Most of us fail to get the recommended 7-8 hours of sleep each night. Whether that’s due to late night hours working or too much time spent in front of a screen, it’s causing major health problems. Challenge employees to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep each night. This can be a great one for fun prizes and incentives such as sleep masks, slippers, pillows, and throw blankets.

There are so many options for workplace wellbeing challenges. Consider trying a challenge in your workplace each month or two and rotate between the different categories of wellness challenges. Let us know how it works in your organization! 

We at Bauman Consulting Group just kicked off our May workplace wellbeing challenge. We’re teaming up with the University of Cincinnati Blue Ash to compete for the greatest number of steps taken in the month of May. This is part of a larger effort by the college to raise money for scholarships. We’ll be posting our weekly numbers online each week. It’s not too late for you to join us! You can register online at https://foundation.uc.edu/UCBAStepsChallenge. Let’s get moving!