Healthy Minds2019 NATIONALSPONSOR CONTENT FEATURE

NEWSPAPER AND DIGITAL

GET INVOLVED TODAY. CONTACT: RICHARD DEACON, Project Manager, rdeacon@globeandmail.com

REACH YOUR TARGETIN PRINT

1,148,000READERS IN THE PRINT EDITION

1,730,000READERS IN THE PRINT & DIGITAL

EDITIONS

ONLINE

7 MILLIONMONTHLY UNIQUE VISITORS

( G l o b e a n d M a i l m u l t i - p l a t f o r m )Source: comScore Q2 2017

THE GLOBE AND MAIL DELIVERS YOUR BEST AUDIENCE:

WITH POWERFUL INTERACTIVITY RESULTS…

35% HIGHERREADING TIME

OVER 2 MINUTES ON SPECIAL REPORT ARTICLES VS. GAM SITE AVERAGE

3X HIGHER CTRON ADS NEXT TO CONTENT

VS. GAM SITE AND CANADIAN AVERAGESource: Omniture, Doubleclick

Click on the report below to see a previous feature on this topic

PUBLICATION DATE: Monday, May 6thGET INVOLVED BY: Monday, March 25thMATERIAL DUE: Monday, April 22th

Published during Mental Health Week, this special feature will shine a spotlight on mental well-being. Even today, mental health challenges are still feared and misunderstood. Greater awareness and understanding can enable people to speak out, seek help and access the services designed to assist them.

Proposed topics:•ADVOCACY – Raising awareness of mental health issues and services.•WORKPLACE – Resources and programs advancing inclusion.•RESEARCH & INNOVATION – New findings and strategies.•RESOURCES – Sources of information and support.

HEALTHYMINDSHighlighting ‘what mental health really is’ during Mental Health Week

HM 1

SPONSOR CONTENT PRODUCED BY RANDALL ANTHONY COMMUNICATIONS. THE GLOBE’S EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT WAS NOT INVOLVED IN ITS CREATION.

MONDAY, MAY 7, 2018

This week, 500,000 Canadians willmiss work due to a mental healthissue or illness. According to a recentpoll, 44 per cent of employees saythey have or have had mental healthchallenges, but only a third of themaccess help, largely due to stigma.The reality at Diversified Rehabilita-

tion Group is different, says president

to health and wellness,” he says.“This can be a very strenuous task,making a psychologically healthyworkplace so imperative.”Headquartered in Kelowna and

with several locations across BritishColumbia, Diversified RehabilitationGroup offers health and wellnessreturn-to-work-related services to in-dividuals, businesses and insurancecompanies. In 2008, the manage-ment team went to employees withthe invitation to weigh in with ideason how they envision a psycho-logically healthy workplace – andhow to get there, says Sienko. “Forpeople to open up, you need to firstearn their trust. And on the journeyof earning that trust, the manage-ment team had to demonstrate thatwe really care and want everybodyto be a part of the solution.”The commitment to tackling the

issue as a team has led to organi-zation-wide engagement – it alsorequired leading by example, saysSienko. “You need to embrace thechange for yourself. If you expectemployees to share their chal-lenges, managers also need to beopen when they are going throughdifficult times,” he says. “At the endof the day, we are all human beingswith the same vulnerabilities.”In addition to the benefits already

in place, input from DiversifiedRehabilitation Group team membersled to the creation of three “wellnessdays” a year, which they can spendas they choose. The company alsointroduced a four-day workweek foremployees, although the facilitiesare open on five business days. “Wewere initially concerned that thiswould negatively impact our produc-tivity, but our bottom line has goneup, and disability rates and sick timedropped drastically,” says Sienko.The dedication to transforming

company culture earned Diversi-fied Rehabilitation Group the CMHAWorkplace Excellence Award. “We’vecreated an environment wheresharing and admitting vulnerabilityis part of today’s company culture,”says Sienko, adding that the impacthas also been noticed by clients.“Feedback from our clients tells usthat they feel heard and supported,”he says. “Instead of just telling themwhat to do, we allow them to bevulnerable and take an active role intheir recovery.”

and CEO Derek Sienko. Here, em-ployees address issues like burnoutor stress openly, with the expecta-tions that they will be heard andsupported. “Initially, people werenot as open about their [mentalhealth] challenges, but today, thereis no fear, no stigma,” he says.For Sienko, this very noticeable

change is the outcome of a con-scious and collaborative decade-longeffort to create a psychologicallyhealthy workplace in a field whereburnout is notoriously common.“We are working with people withdifferent disabilities and helpingthem get back on track and return

TEAM EFFORTTRANSFORMINGCOMPANYCULTURE

WE OFTEN AUTOMATICALLYSAY “FINE” WHEN SOMEONEAT WORK ASKS HOW WE ARE.Yet the same question can trigger amore meaningful exchange – onethat acknowledges how we trulyfeel and whether we reach out whenwe need support. What are some ofthe conditions that are conduciveto opening up at our place of workon days when we’re not feeling likeourselves?For Dr. Patrick Smith, a clinical

psychologist and national CEO ofthe Canadian Mental Health Associa-tion (CMHA), “a workplace culturethat is open and actively embracesand promotes mental health canhave a big impact on people’s abil-ity to talk about mental health andfeel supported.”For 67 years, the CMHA Mental

Health Week has amplified theimportance of speaking out aboutmental health. This year, themessage is, “Get loud about whatmental health really is,” says Dr.Smith. “One in five Canadians has amental illness – but five in five havemental health.”Mental health is a continuum.

And all Canadians – regardless of

whether they’ve had a mental illnessdiagnosis or not – can place them-selves on the continuum that rangesfrom languishing to thriving, heexplains. “Everyone experiences dif-ferent states of mental health, whichcan be affected by a range of factors,including the lack of sunshine, forexample, or any kind of stressor.”Some of the biggest impact typi-

cally originates in the environmentwhere we spend most of our time,such as school for children or workfor adults, says Dr. Smith. “The work-place can be a significant contributorto positive mental health or, alterna-tively, mental health challenges.”Jordan Friesen, national associate

director, Workplace Mental Health,CMHA, agrees that workplaces playa significant role. “Not only do mostCanadians spend a large amountof time at work, but many say thatwork is their number one stressor,”he says. “Leading organizationsacross the country are implementingthe National Standard of Canada forPsychological Health and Safety inthe Workplace, which is the first ofits kind in the world. It offers volun-tary guidelines, tools and resourcesfor promoting mental health and

Building a psychologically healthy workplace can lead to increased employeeengagement and reduced disability rates and sick time. ISTOCK.COM

WHAT’S YOURMENTALHEALTHSTATUS?

Feeling well can meandifferent things to differentpeople, but there are somecommonalities that apply toall of us: in order to thrive,we need a good sense ofself, purpose, contribu-tion, hope, resilience andbelonging.The Canadian Mental

Health Association compiledan informal list based ona range of sources. Whileit is not a scientific tool, itallows Canadians to checktheir mental health status byanswering “agree” or “dis-agree” and perhaps guidethem on how to supportand improve it.

YOUR SENSE OF SELF• I feel confident about

my own opinions, evenif they’re different fromwhat other people thinkor believe.

• I think people respectme, but I can disagreewith others and still feelokay about myself.

• I feel that I am the experton my own life.

• I consider myself to be agood person.

• I deserve to feel well.

YOUR PURPOSE ANDSENSE OF MEANING• I feel like I’m reaching my

potential.• I feel I am growing as a

person.• I challenge myself and

my thoughts about theworld.

• I have a sense of purposeand meaning in my life.

• It is a better world withme in it.

• I am good at things thatmatter to me.

• I get something out ofthe things I do.

BELONGING• I get along with others,

and I feel good about mypersonal relationshipsand social interactions.

• I feel like I am part ofsomething bigger thanmyself.

• I feel like I belong.• I have people in my life

to support me.

CONTRIBUTION• What I do matters a lot to

others.• I feel useful and produc-

tive.• I make the world a better

place in my own way.• I am making a difference.

HOPE AND ENJOYMENT• I am optimistic about my

future.• I feel good about myself.• I like and accept myself.• I usually expect good

things will happen.• I enjoy life.

RESILIENCE• Things are hard some-

times, but I think I dealpretty well.

• I know I can’t control ev-erything, but I take actionwhere I can.

• If you knock me down, Iget back up again.

One in fiveCanadians has a

mental illness – butfive in five havemental health.

Dr. Patrick SmithClinical psychologist and

national CEO of the CanadianMental Health Association

preventing psychological harm atwork.”Workplaces have the opportunity

to provide an environment whereall team members can be their bestselves, says Dr. Smith, who recom-mends normalizing discussionsabout mental health issues. “Peoplehave no problem sharing their ex-periences when they or their familymembers experience heart diseaseor cancer,” he says. “But what iftheir son or daughter struggleswith depression, bipolar disorderor schizophrenia? Do they have thesame level of comfort talking aboutmental illness?”Friesen says that one of the main

barriers to talking about mentalhealth challenges is fear of negativeimpacts. That’s why Not MyselfToday, a national workplace mentalhealth initiative by CMHA, drawsattention to the fact that we allhave days when we don’t feel likeourselves, he explains. “It starts withthe recognition that it is normal tofeel a wide range of emotions. Whenwe can identify and understand howwe are feeling and acknowledgehow others are feeling, then we cantake better care of ourselves andeach other.”Not Myself Today is designed to

be accessible, approachable andpositive, according to Friesen. “Weeducate employees and employerson various topics related to mentalhealth, and provide guidance, hands-on engagement and activities forimproving their own well-being, forexample, with stress management,resilience building and emotionalintelligence,” he says. “We supportworkplaces that want to create spac-es where everyone feels comfortablebeing open and where nobody isstigmatized for dealing with mentalhealth challenges.”The good news is that with the

right commitment, which involvesclear leadership and engagementthroughout the whole organization,there can be a palpable shift in thework culture. Partners participatingin the Not Myself Today initiativereport experiencing increased aware-ness and understanding of mentalhealth issues and a more supportivework environment.Shelley DaCosta, vice-president,

Total Rewards and EmployeeExperience at Royal & Sun AllianceInsurance Company of Canada(RSA), says, “Our experience withthe Not Myself Today campaign atRSA was nothing short of excellent.The introduction of the [initiative]started important conversationsamong friends, co-workers, leadersand teams on the subject of mentalhealth and wellness in the work-place.” She adds that Not MyselfToday will continue to be a key partof RSA’s overall wellness and mentalhealth strategy.“When a workplace actively

embraces positive mental healthpromotion and fosters a mentallyhealthy workplace, that isn’t onlygood for employees and the workculture, it also positively affects thebottom line,” says Dr. Smith.Mental health is costing Canada

approximately $51-billion, with morethan half of that number directlyaffecting workplaces in terms ofabsenteeism, turnover and highuse of benefits, so protecting andimproving the mental health of em-ployees makes good practical sense,says Friesen.“According to the World Health

Organization, there is no healthwithout mental health,” he says,adding that the positive impact ofhealthy and safe workplaces cancarry over to affect families, friendsand communities – towards a morecaring and inclusive society.

Not Myself Today, a national workplace mental health initiative by CMHA, draws attention to the fact that we all have days when we don’t feellike ourselves. Acknowledging how we and others are feeling can allow us to better care for ourselves and each other. ISTOCK.COM

mailto:rdeacon@globeandmail.com