Dr. Scott Rasmus, Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board. CONTRIBUTED
A recent article from the National Alliance of Mental Illness discussed the significant rise in stress at work and the calls for more resources to address it.
A new poll highlighted there also showed that employees are seeking more mental health services these days and associated training at work. However, statistics state only about a third of people receive the training they desire in this area.
Thus, I have decided to roll out an integrated mental health training course for businesses in the Butler County, area to promote three important resources any business could benefit from. Many of these are skills mental health counselors and therapists are well adept at and typically are part of their education degree programs.
First are active listening skills to optimize personal communications. These skills highlight non-verbal and verbal encouragers, open-ended vs. closed-ended questions, reflection of content (paraphrasing), reflections of feelings, reflections of meaning, summarization, and constructive confrontation skills.
There is so much benefit to people optimizing communications at work to make sure their message is received clearly and accurately so people feel heard. It also cuts down on communication errors and enhances work productivity. I cannot tell you how many reflections of content, feeling and meaning there are that I offer each day at work (and at home) as I use these active listening skills quite frequently.
Secondly, stress management skills are well indicated to reduce stress. The good thing here is there are a number of techniques to use – such as physical exercise, breathing exercises, employing relaxing visualizations, and music therapy. My initial training will offer a basic, evidence-based practice breathing exercise technique that can be done anywhere in any setting – such as in one’s office or pulled over in a car.
These techniques can reduce anxiousness and stress, lower blood pressure, provide clearer and more relaxed communication, and enhance sleep.
Lastly, I offer a creative group brainstorming technique called a “Reflecting Team” that was developed and used in clinical team counseling but can also be applied to other settings. The concept requires a facilitator to lead a problem discussion meeting with a designated client.
The facilitator uses active listening skills to help get their “problematic story” out to a point where a team of observing individuals can then share their thoughts about this problem in tentative reflective statements using “what if” and “I wonder if” like statements to offer ideas for about 5-10 minutes. Then the facilitator allows the client to process and choose what feedback or reflections best fits with their storied/created solution to their problem.
One of my goals as the executive director for the Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board is not just assessing and treating mental illness but also about mental health prevention and education. These techniques can encourage those in need of assistance to manage their challenges better as well as reduce mental health stigma, so people are comfortable seeking mental health services when needed.
For businesses seeking more information about this new pilot mental health training course, call 513-939-6851.
Dr. Scott Rasmus, Butler County Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Services Board