Designing and Developing Mental Health Programs in the Workplace, Managing Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Mental Health Peer Support Training for Employees were among the topics covered at PVP's November Mental Health Learning Series. Our facilitators, resource persons and participants made the training successful.
Let's take a look back at how the training went as we celebrate the end of our November 2021 chapter.
On Designing and Developing Mental Health Programs in the Workplace, facilitated by our very own Mr. Gerald B. Peñaranda, M.Sc., RPsy and Ms. Alessandra T. Arpon, RPsy, they guided our participants on how to be able to produce a well-informed mental health program for their organization. The first day focused on the rationale for developing a mental health program in the workplace; second day was the psychoeducation on workplace mental health concerns and appropriate interventions; and day three was the hands-on workshop for crafting a mental health program on their own.
While the Mental Health Act was enacted in 2018, there are still plenty of companies in the Philippines who are looking for guidance in having their own mental health programs in place.Through this training, they will now be able to comply with the law and address a critical area in employee assistance and development.
The three-day course on Managing Employee Mental Health and Wellbeing began with a backgrounder on Mental Health in the Workplace. Dr. Homer J. Yabut RPsy assisted the attendees in identifying typical workplace mental health concerns, learning the impact of mental health on employee productivity and engagement, and teaching the roles and responsibilities of managers and supervisors in addressing mental health.
On the second day of the training, Ms. Suzanne Marie Roxas and Dr. Homer Yabut guided the participants on how to conduct a helping session with the employees. They have discussed the five stages of the helping process: starting the conversation, identifying the concern, mutual goal setting, leading new solutions, and focusing on action points.
Ending day 3 on a positive and motivating mindset, Mr. Gerald Penaranda shared his insights on how to handle employee well-being by using the PERMA-V approach, a concept in positive psychology which emphasizes the importance of Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationship, Meaning in Life, Achievement, and Vitality in establishing someone's mental health. Mr. Penaranda also shared tips on Resiliency towards improving employee mental health and well-being.
Dr. Homer J. Yabut RPsy conducted a seminar on Mental Health Peer Support Training for Employees before the month concluded. Misconceptions about mental health were addressed on the first day of training. The training also covered how mental health in the workplace is often disregarded, and how people often fail to detect mental health issues due to stigma, which can lead to more complications if not treated. Stress, anxiety, and depression are common mental health disorders in the workplace, according to Dr. Yabut, and they can all lead to burnout. This is when the value of peer support comes into play.
Dr. Yabut continued to address how to do peer assistance in the workplace through the rapport-building and communication process on the second day of the course. He also stressed the importance of nonverbal communication skills, as well as what to avoid during peer discussion, such as fiddling and restless movement.
Dr. Yabut discussed problem solving and peer support ethics on the final day of the course. During peer support conversations, Dr. Yabut presented instructions on problem resolution and how to completely promote problem solving. The members learned how to run their own peer support group as a result of this.
Here are some feedback from our participants during this month-long mental health celebration:
We'd like to thank everyone who attended our Mental Health trainings in November.
For more information about our trainings and webinars, visit https://www.pvpi.co/pvp-trainings or email us at training@pvpi.ph.