Articles tagged under ‘Psychological’

Articles 1 - 115 of 115

• Getting ahead of harm — Part 2: What prevention really asks of employers

  What can employers do to prevent workplace mental harm rather than react to it?

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• Distressed and out the door — What the numbers say about mental health and retention

  Data scientist and organisational psychology researcher Tim Ballard and his team have been digging into what psychological distress does to workforce retention.

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• Why exercise belongs at the centre of psychological injury recovery

  A new resource distils the evidence on exercise for psychological injury into principles for RTW professionals.

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• Webinar recording — The difference between returning and recovering: What my lived experience of RTW taught me about healing without re-injury

  Jennifer Chate’s lived experience of psychological injury and return to work offers practical insight into what supports recovery, reduces harm and builds psychological safety.

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• When trauma disrupts daily life — A community-based approach to recovery after a motor vehicle crash

  Community-based exercise physiology programs are being used to support psychological recovery following motor vehicle crashes.

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• Trust as a tool for recovery and RTW

  A new approach to psychological injury claims is helping workers and employers rebuild trust and achieve better outcomes.

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• ‘BIG empathy’ is a RTW superpower

  Jennifer’s story shows how hidden trauma can follow people into their jobs and shape how they react to and cope with events at work. She has a practical, human approach to building workplaces where mental health is recognised, protected, and valued.

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• The use of mental health services after minor motor vehicle crashes — What the research reveals

  A review finds a big difference in how people access mental health services after minor to moderate motor vehicle crash injuries, highlighting gaps in understanding and care.

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• The cost of NSW Police’s failure to address the root causes of psychological injury

  NSW Police has spent $1.75 billion on psychological injury claims in 5 years while failing to address the root causes. An audit shows why reactive support isn’t enough, and what needs to change.

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• ‘My business was okay, but I wasn't’ — How mental health coaching is supporting small business owners (Part 2)

  A free mental health coaching service is helping small business owners and sole traders tackle burnout and overwhelm before they reach crisis point.

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• ‘My business was okay, but I wasn't’ — How mental health coaching is supporting small business owners (Part 1)

  A free mental health coaching service is helping small business owners and sole traders tackle burnout and overwhelm before they reach crisis point.

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• For mental health’s sake, don’t get hurt on the job

  Getting hurt on the job leads to worse mental health outcomes than if you were injured somewhere else.

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• Recovery first — How Allianz is supporting mental injury recovery from day one

  Allianz Australia's Early Intervention Program is cutting RTW times in half by supporting mental injury recovery from day one, regardless of the claim outcome.

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• Ground control to workplace health — Preventing psychological claims before they launch

  Research from SuperFriend reveals how measuring workplace experiences could help predict and prevent psychological claims before they occur.

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• Research meets practice in QBE's partnership to better claims outcomes

  QBE Insurance has collaborated with the University of Newcastle's Centre for Rehab Innovations (CRI) to improve psychological injury management in workers' compensation claims.

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• Australian study seeks work-focused CBT practitioners and clients. Can you help?

  A research project is exploring the gap between guidelines and practice in work-focused CBT and is recruiting participants who have delivered or received this approach. Your story or that of someone you know could help shape future practice and help others return to work.

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• Small business, big support — a coaching service for mental wellness and business success

  Beyond Blue’s New Access for Small Business Owners service (NASBO) is providing valuable mental health support for small business owners struggling with the challenges brought about by work and personal pressures.

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• BeHealth — a digital answer to employee mental health challenges

  An innovative digital mental health program offers a blueprint for employers keen to support their workers' mental health.

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• New guidelines for treating PTSD in emergency workers

  New guidelines provide more detailed guidance on how to assess, treat and manage the rehabilitation of emergency workers with PTSD.

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• The current state of psychological health and safety in the workplace

  A Safe Work Australia report paints the most up-to-date picture of workers’ experiences of psychosocial hazards and their outcomes.

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• Steering Healthy Minds — a peer support program to prevent mental illness in the transport sector

  An industry peer support program to prevent mental injury is driving change in the transport industry.

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• Heading mental health injury claims off at the pass

  Tips for some proactive strategies organisations can use to address mental health concerns before they escalate and become a workers’ comp claim.

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• Webinar recording — Eliminating psychosocial risks

  Jacqueline Agius, the ACT’s WHS Commissioner, talks about what psychosocial hazards are, the impact they have on workers and others and how workplaces can manage the associated risks.

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• Collaboration to prevent and manage mental injury claims — a roundup from the 3rd It Pays to Care symposium

  Sharon Stratford reports from the third It Pays to Care symposium

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• Webinar recording — Translating Employer Insights

  Megan Buick, General Manager of the Strategic Partnerships and Engagement Group at Comcare talks about the challenges employers experience in supporting work participation and provides resources to help meet their needs.

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• Self-management of ongoing pain — ideal but still elusive

  By combining psychology-based skills with traditional pain management approaches healthcare providers can offer their patients a more comprehensive approach to managing pain.

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• From pain to possibility — the role of resilience in long-term pain management

  Some science-backed, practical things you can do to help people you work with ‘bounce forward’ from their experience of living with persistent pain.

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• The vicious cycle of pain and anxiety — and how to tame the anxious wolf

  Practical evidence-based tips for dealing with pain-related anxiety, or helping someone else deal with it.

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• IRRI-sistable (Part 2) — tipping the scales towards fewer workplace mental health injuries

  In Part 1 we introduced IRRI — WorkCover Queensland’s Injury Risk Reduction Initiatives. In this follow up article we look specifically at some of the projects that target workplace mental health, and what we can learn from them.

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• Webinar recording - WorkWell: Preventing mental injury and promoting mental health

  In this webinar, Jennifer Fry, Director of WorkWell at WorkSafe Victoria, shares free tools and resources to help you build a positive and mentally healthy workplace.

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• What do we know about secondary psychological conditions after a physical work injury?

  How can we better to identify and support workers who are risk of developing secondary psychological conditions, and prevent them from occurring in the first place?

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• Webinar recording: Wellbeing and Mental Health – Building inner resilience and supporting others in 2022 - Beyond Blue

  Small business owners have been doing it tough for a long time and statistics are demonstrating higher levels of psychological distress within this community.

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• Look and see - highlighting the impact of psychological hazards on police

  ‘Real stories from real cops’—how to recognise and reduce the impact of psychological hazards on police

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• Q&A with mental health workplace consultant

  "Since the pandemic started, there is a general desire by workplaces to do more about workplace mental health – and to move beyond the awareness raising stage to taking effective workplace action"

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• Webinar recording: Rebuilding one shattered brick at a time - understanding workplace bullying

  Michael Plowright, Director of Working Well Together shares from over two decades of leadership and experience in changing the perceptions of bullying behaviour.

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• Webinar recording: No Time for Health - New ways to overcome the challenges of engaging with small business around mental health and wellbeing

  An important conversation about the challenges of engaging with small business owners and how we can begin to bridge the gap with this unique group to protect and promote their mental health and wellbeing.

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• Thrive at work - Resources and guides

  We speak with Professor of Practice Karina Jorritsma, one of the lead researchers at Thrive at Work, about how to manage and prevent mental ill-health at work, and promote employee thriving.

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• Small acts of sexual harassment hurt, poor organisational response hurts more

  In this case study, a fundraising professional shares how her confidence and mental health were damaged by mild but persistent sexual harassment by a very senior "dinosaur" at work, with the harm exacerbated by the way the organisation handled h

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• A call to pillows!

  Organisations have a lot to gain from battling insomnia, with benefits ranging from increased productivity, less burnout, better worker mental health and fewer workplace accidents. And research shows that workplace interventions can improve sleep.

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• Small business guide: Looking after yourself and your people

  A guide to managing mental health in small businesses, during Covid-19 and beyond.

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• Big ideas for mental health in small businesses

  In this Q&A with Tim Hoopmann, small business owner and Beyond Blue speaker, we learn how to better support small business through work injury claims and mental health struggles.

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• Guidelines for diagnosing, managing and trouble-shooting mental health claims

  GP guidelines on the assessment and management of work-related mental health conditions aim to reduce unnecessary “unfit for work” certificates and improve recovery outcomes.

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• Workplace mental health resources by jurisdiction

  Not knowing where to begin is a barrier that prevents some organisations from taking action on workplace mental health. We've assembled a list of high quality resources from workers' compensation authorities and government sources, organised by

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• Healthy Minds, Healthy Workplaces

  Comcare and Beyond Blue demonstrate benefits of low intensity cognitive behavioural therapy at work.

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• Mates in Construction builds better mental health

  “We called 52 industry leaders together at a national level in Sydney and essentially asked, are we happy being the ambulance at the bottom of the cliff or do we look at what we can do further upstream?”

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• Need to persuade higher-ups to take action on mental health at work?

  Progressive think-tank The Australia Institute has released a report that quantifies the costs of poor workplace mental health.

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• The fire and rescue perspective on PTSD

  Andrew McGarity of Fire and Rescue NSW speaks with Dr Mary Wyatt via video link about an initiative to foster early reporting and better management of PTSD and other mental health disorders in a high-pressure industry.

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• Interview with Dr Doron Samuell, psychiatrist and behavioural scientist

  There are deep, systemic problems with the way we manage mental health claims, according to Dr Samuell. He wants to see more evidence-based care and better systems to manage work injury mental health cases.

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• Is your workplace ready for GPs’ best practice mental health management?

  World-leading Australian guidelines will help GPs better manage work-related mental health conditions. Enlightened employers should benefit, but GPs are unlikely to recommend RTW if conflict, stigma and meaningless modified duties are the norm…

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• Webinar recording: The challenge of bullying – the negative consequences and effective responses

  This webinar explores the nature and effects of workplace bullying and what factors help to ensure a safe return to work.

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• Psychiatric cases and secondary depression - ELEARNING

  An online training module for RTW Coordinators who need tools to help them manage cases where there is psychological injury.

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• Webinar recording: From theory to practice - Creating psychologically healthy workplaces

  Practical steps to build and maintain a psychologically healthy workplace and minimise psychosocial risks.

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• No reporting does not equal no psychological injury

  You should be worried if no workers at your organisation complain about bullying, harassment or workplace pressures, and none claim for psychological injury, says Dr Rebecca Michalak.

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• Your obligations around psychological health and safety at work

  Peta Miller, to WHS consultant who previously worked with Safe Work Australia, clears up the confusion around work-related psychological health and safety duties

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• Webinar recording: Work-related psychological health and safety matters.

  Meeting your duties under the work health and safety laws.

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• 3 x 3 for mental health

  Nine priorities for Australian businesses seeking to prevent harm, promote the positive, and manage mental illness at work

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• In conversation with Angela Martin

  A highly experienced “pracademic” outlines the research evidence best suited to helping employers improve mental health at work

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• Jury still out on mindfulness at work

  If you believe the hype, mindfulness can work miracles in the workplace. What do researchers actually know about the benefits of mindfulness for organisations?

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• The best Vs the rest: mental health at work

  Fifteen things that the best performing organisations do to promote good mental health at work

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• Australia's most wanted: a mentally healthy workplace

  Want to secure a mentally healthy workplace but not exactly sure what one looks like? Mental health foundation Superfriend have drawn a picture of the target.

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• Workplace solutions for worried claimants

  What do workers who lodge a claim for psychological injury worry about? And how can the workplace help ease these worries?

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• Workers fear lodging claims for psych injury

  Lodging a psycological injury claim in Australia is a scary business, and the scarier it is perceived to be, the more RTW suffers

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• How to support psychological claimants

  When psychological claimants feel supported by their employer the RTW outlook is bright. Here we distil the advice of experts into a brief how-to guide to help you capitalise on the support advantage.

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• New data shows employer support crucial for psychological claimants

  In Australia, only one third of psychological claimants feel supported by their employer: those who do are substantially more likely to return to work.

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• Two-thirds of psychological claimants report no workplace contact

  New research shows Australian employers delay and even avoid contact with workers who make psychological injury claims, and finds an association with poor outcomes for return to work.

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• Comparing the data: physical and psychological claims

  Dr Wyatt dug into the data on the outcomes and experiences of Australian workers who lodge claims for physical and psychological injury. This overview reveals similarities but as ever the devil is in the details...

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• A basic introduction to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

  Learn the basics about Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), one of the most effective forms of counselling.

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• Psychological Cases: developing a psychologically healthy workplace

  The workplace is a social environment. For many, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of their job. For others, depending on the workplace, the negative impacts on their psychology can be enormous.

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• Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Drugs

  According to NDSHS data, workers are more likely to have used illicit drugs in the past 12 months (17%) compared to people not in the paid workforce (12%).

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• Lifestyle Factors and RTW: Alcohol

  Alcohol and smoking are the most common legal drugs in use in Australia today.

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• Psychological Cases: prevention is better than the cure

  The workplace is a social environment. For many, this is one of the most enjoyable aspects of their job. For others, depending on the workplace, the negative impacts on their psychology can be enormous.

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• Workplace Incivility: where are your manners?

  Incivility is being rude, discourteous and showing a lack of regard for others. The behaviour harms the target, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It may also occur in the cyberspace, such as not replying to email or sending terse emails.

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• Webinar Recording: The nuts and bolts of work oriented treatment

  Gain an understanding of the practical aspects of Work Oriented Treatment for workers experiencing psychological injury.

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• Mental Health and Cancer

  The diagnosis of any serious disease can have an impact on mental health; for the person afflicted as well as their family and friends.

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• Chronic Pain in the Workplace: a psychological approach

  Dr Matt Graham, a registered psychologist and team psychologist at OrionHealth, explores the skill sets needed to assist employees to return to work.

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• Webinar Recording: Improving RTW Outcomes - the Strategic Impact of Work Oriented Treatment Part 1

  Gain an understanding of the strategic impact of Work Oriented Treatment for workers experiencing psychological injury.

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• Learned helplessness in RTW

  'Learned helplessness' is the idea that some people who experience repeated setbacks will eventually develop a passive response to problems. How can you help and understand injured workers who don't try and help themselves?

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• Banishing Burnout: Strategies for a Constructive Engagement with Work

  Dr Michael Leiter, a professor at the Centre for Organisational Research and Development at Acadia University, offers strategies for enabling employees to constructively engage at work and avoid burnout.

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• Mental Health: developing an action plan for your workplace - part 2

  Once your action plan has been developed, what are the next steps for implementation?

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• Mental Health: developing an action plan for your workplace - part 1

  An estimated one in five employees will be impacted by a mental health condition at any one time in Australia.

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• Mental Stress in Australia: Compensation Statistics part 1

  Work-related mental stress places a burden on the health and welfare of employees, as well as having an impact on workplace productivity and the Australian economy.

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• Psychological claims: Part 4

  Getting ready for psychological claims - change the story

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• Psychological claims: Part 3

  The history is not just a formality

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• Psychological claims: Part 2

  Finding a model that makes sense of it all

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• Psychological claims: Part 1

  Are you standing in your own way?

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• Recorded webinar: Bullying, interpersonal conflict and psychological injuries - Dr Doron Samuell

  Whilst psychological injury claims are less common that physical workplace injuries, they represent almost a quarter of the expense that all insurers are incurring as a result of these conditions

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• Webinar Recording: Adjustment Disorder and Work

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• Recorded webinar: Helping a discouraged employee

  This webinar looks at ways that everyone can make a positive contribution towards improving the mental health of a person who appears to be struggling.

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• Recorded Webinar: Managing Psychological Claims in the Workplace

  Psychological or mental health claims are a fast growing liability for most compensation schemes. Psychologist Kaye Frankcom addresses the appropriate management of these claims in the workplace.

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• Mental health at work, Steps to get there

  An interview with Ingid Ozols, director of mh@work, exploring how mental health can be improved through the introduction of workplace programs.

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• Suicide and work injury

  New Australian research shows that workers with psychological injuries are not the only ones who may be at risk of suicide. Physical injury and long term compensation can lead to mental injury, and increased suicide risk.

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• Jokes, bullying and RTW

  Lara felt bullied by her case manager and colleagues when she returned to work - even when they were "just joking". Read her story to see how these attitudes very nearly jeopardised her recovery.

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• The ABC of CBT: Part Three

  In which we ask: Who would benefit from CBT? How can you broach the subject of therapy in the workplace? How long does CBT take?

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• The ABC of CBT: Part Two

  In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that when you change your behaviour, you also change your thoughts, beliefs, feelings...and rehab prospects.

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• The ABC of CBT: Part One

  In which we - and injured worker Ms W - learn that 'C' is for 'Cognitive,' and that thoughts aren't facts.

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• How is exposure to trauma affecting you and your employees?

  There is a way of minimising the adverse effects trauma workers are exposed to - start by acknowledging "vicarious trauma".

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• Fatigue is the biggest threat to a person's safety

  A new perspective on an established hazard

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• Maintaining a mentally healthy workplace - 2

  Ingrid Ozols - founder and Director of the Mental Health at Work initiative - explains the importance of reading the signs of mental illness.

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• Maintaining a mentally healthy workplace - 1

  Ingrid Ozols - founder and Director of the Mental Health at Work initiative - explains the importance of reading the signs of mental illness.

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• Supervising wellbeing

  How do managers and supervisors impact the mental and emotional wellbeing of their team? Is it possible to manage in a way that promotes good mental and emotional health?

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• Musculoskeletal injuries and mental illness

  Many Australians experience a mental disorder while also suffering from a musculoskeletal condition. Does one cause the other?

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• Stigma and mental illness

  What is stigma? What are some consequences of stigma? How might stigma manifest in the workplace? And what can you do about it?

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• Mind power

  Psychologist Colin Thompson introduces us to Mindfulness Therapy, which has been shown to assist people with problems including anxiety, chronic pain and addiction.

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• Anxiety Q&A 3: Working with anxiety

  This final instalment provides tips for helping anxious employees maintain their cool and remain at work.

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• Anxiety Q&A Part 2: The costs

  In part two of this three part series, we look at the personal, economic and work-related costs of anxiety.

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• Anxiety Q&A Part 1: The basics

  Understanding anxious employees is the first step in helping them maintain their cool and remain at work.

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• Gluttons for punishment? Talking work and psychosis at Mind

  Ever wondered what it might be like to work with a mental illness, let alone return to work after a psychotic episode? We spoke to a group of people who've done it - and some of what they told us might surprise you.

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• Diamond discovered while down in the dumps about return to work.

  A new UK report finds that RTW depression is widespread, even when physical illness is the reason for work absence. Employers can make a difference.

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• How to be a trauma-ready employer

  We talk trauma, recovery in the workplace and PTSD with Professor Mark Creamer from the Australian Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health.

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• Coping after a traumatic event

  Techniques to cope with the emotional and physical symptoms of experiencing a traumatic event.

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• Rehabilitating after mental illness

  With dignity and respect, self-responsibility and supportive relationships, return to work after mental illness is achievable.

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• Quality control in RTW: Spend less, achieve more

  In the case of Mr S, a well managed return to work system saves an employer $$ and provides good outcomes for a worker with anxiety.

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• Deanne's story part three: unintended outcome

  How an employer and employee can do the right thing and yet have a bad experience too

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• A successful RTW case study under seemingly insurmountable obstacles.

  Mr X had been a 'journeyman' worker for many years before he developed a destructive and debilitating anxiety.

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• Proactive management is crucial for anxious injured workers

  A machine operator who already has minimal work restrictions experiences another injury, this time resulting in ongoing soreness, coupled with anxiety and distress. The result is an extended duration of restricted duties.

Archived Articles 1 - 5 of 5

• Q&A with mental health workplace consultant

  "Employers are really switched on now, they understand the importance of workplace mental health, and more and more they understand that they need to do something about it even when there are no obvious problems."

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• Taking Action to Improve Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace

  In a webinar for CIRPD, Dr Merv Gilbert, Adjunct Professor with the Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction, pointed out that Freud believed love and work to be the cornerstones of our humanity.

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• Brodie's Law

  A tragic harassment case in Victoria has highlighted the need for HR professionals to remain vigilant on the matter of workplace bullying.

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• Caught in the spotlight: Pacific Film and Television Corporation, stress claims and "reasonable management action"

  What happens when WorkCover decides that workplace bullying - which your doctor tells you is responsible for your skyrocketing blood pressure and increasing reactive arthritis flare-ups - is actually "reasonable management action"?

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• Rehabilitation between the yellow flags

  Prior to the onset of an injury a worker may often display a number of yellow flags, or warning signs, indicative of the injury occurring.

Research 1 - 65 of 65

• The injury after the injury — Tracing the path to secondary psychological injury

  Many of the causes of secondary psychological injury are modifiable.

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• Injured by the claim, not just the injury — Is the workers' comp system making injured workers worse?

  An Australian study pinpoints the specific claims process factors that contribute to secondary psychological injury, and finds they are modifiable.

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• Why mental health support isn’t always used in ambulance services

  Workers in ambulance services are most likely to use mental health support when it is embedded in everyday work, trusted and experienced as genuine rather than procedural.

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• Can We IMPRovE GP care for psychological injuries?

  A trial suggests that structured support can help GPs follow mental health guidelines more effectively in work injury cases.

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• Protecting those who protect us — What we’re learning about police suicide

  An Australian study of police suicide highlights the critical factors that are associated with heightened suicide risk and points to opportunities to strengthen prevention and support.

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• Inside the minds of Australian workplaces — Part 1: The stats

  Research conducted by Monash University’s Healthy Working Lives Research Group reveals how 4 million workers are struggling in silence, and who's most at risk.

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• Why recovery and RTW depend on taking a fuller picture of mental health

  The absence of a mental illness alone doesn't necessarily mean that someone is happy and flourishing.

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• Improving RTW outcomes through digital coordination

  A web application called PRATICAdr helps workers with mental health issues return to work successfully.

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• How employers are improving RTW for public safety workers after trauma

  Employers face challenges when supporting workers in public safety occupations to RTW after a work-related post-traumatic stress injury. But many are taking proactive steps to improve RTW outcomes.

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• Improving RTW outcomes through digital coordination

  A web application called PRATICAdr helps workers with mental health issues return to work successfully.

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• If you build it, will they come? — How useful are workplace mental health toolkits?

  What should organisations think about when implementing toolkits to support workers’ mental health?

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• From site to safety net — How construction workers are saving lives

  The success of the Mates in Construction program offers valuable lessons for addressing mental health and preventing suicide in other male-dominated industries.

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• Can AI-powered tools support workers’ mental health?

  A platform powered by artificial intelligence (AI) could help address workplace stress, enhance work outcomes and increase access to mental healthcare.

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• Hard hats prefer softer approaches when it comes to mental health support

  A study reveals that construction workers prefer informal support for mental health issues, raising questions about the effectiveness of the widely implemented Mental Health First Aid programs in the construction industry.

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• Not just a military problem — how concerned should we be about work-related moral injury?

  An under-recognised workplace injury — moral injury and post-traumatic embitterment disorder — is causing significant distress among workers across many different jobs.

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• Help me if you can, I’m feeling down — addressing mental health at work

  Interventions for mental health issues must address the individual, organisational and systemic factors that support people to seek help.

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• Cognitive-behavioural therapy-based interventions support RTW

  A study shows that cognitive-behavioural therapy-based interventions can reduce sick leave and get people back to work.

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• Checking the benefits of workplace mental health screening

  A study suggests that workplace mental health screening programs on their own may not be very effective in improving employee mental health.

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• How do regulators respond to complaints about psychosocial and physical hazards? And how should they? — Part 2

  A recent study reveals that when it comes to workplace hazards, work, health and safety inspectors treat psychosocial hazards differently from physical and musculoskeletal hazards.

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• Back on track — the use of mental health services by workers with low back pain

  Early mental health services can accelerate recovery, improve function and improve return-to-work outcomes for workers with low back pain.

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• The relationship between work disability and suicide or self-harm

  A study confirms the strong link between work disability and suicide or self-harm.

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• Can self-compassion reduce pain-related disability?

  Being kinder to oneself may be a key to dealing with ongoing pain and achieving greater well-being

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• Peer support for self-management of persistent pain — 3 basic ingredients that make it effective

  By using the 3 ‘ingredients’ of self-determination theory, healthcare professionals can help people cope with persistent pain and adjust to life with greater confidence and resilience.

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• I expect, therefore I will — the link between positive expectations and recovery

  There is increasing recognition of the importance of psychological factors in how we recover from musculoskeletal injuries. One of those factors is believing we’ll get better.

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• Work — the problem, or the solution to common mental health issues?

  Depression, anxiety, stress-related disorders. Work can be the problem or the solution if you are dealing with these, or other, common mental health issues. What are the factors that make the difference?

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• Work demands and resources linked to mental health absences

  Work that offers few learning opportunities, low co-worker and supervisor support, high emotional demands and high-work family interference is strongly linked to long-term, mental-health related sickness absence.

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• An evidence-based system for occupational mental health interventions

  Covering risk assessment, implementation, RTW, EAPs and post-implementation quality improvement, this comprehensive guide from Canada’s Work Wellness Institute draws on research evidence and stakeholder consultation.

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• Back pain RTW delayed by poor mental health

  Depression and anxiety delay sustained RTW for workers with work-related musculoskeletal disorders. New mental health problems lead to larger delays than pre-existing problems – and men are more vulnerable to delay than women.

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• Talking about episodic disability at work

  Canadian researchers explore organisational perspectives on talking about episodic disability at work.

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• Call centre workers tired of faking it

  Feeling one way and having to act another is a hallmark of call centre work. The resulting emotional exhaustion has implications not only for the health and work satisfaction of call centre workers but for the people who use their services.

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• What hurts worse, trauma or workplace insensitivity?

  For ambulance workers, mental health issues result not just from exposure to traumatic events, but from more mundane workplace stressors including the way managers respond to their distress.

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• Should workers disclose mental illness at work?

  Disclosing a mental illness has potential benefits (increased understanding, improved support) but it also brings real risk in the form of stigma and discrimination. Dutch research tackles the who, what, when and why of this common minefield.

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• You can’t manage psychosocial risk if you don’t recognise it

  Managers focused on workers' bad attitudes may miss opportunities to control the organisational psychosocial hazards that contribute to musculoskeletal disorders and stress-related mental health problems.

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• Threat assessments make or break RTW with PTSD

  Treaters and RTW professionals who want to promote safe and timely RTW amongst people with PTSD should pay particular attention to threat appraisals – i.e. whether symptoms and / or the workplace are perceived as dangerous.

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• Are we taking care of psychiatric nurses?

  Psychiatric nurses who report the most mental health symptoms see more barriers to seeking help than those whose mental health is good. How can organisations better support recovery?

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• We need better workplace interventions for common mental disorders

  Tackle the psychosocial work environment if you want to see higher productivity, less sickness absence and timely, durable RTW for workers with CMDs such as depression and anxiety, say Swedish researchers.

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• Evidence-based treatment for combined depression and anxiety

  Anxiety and depression commonly go together but can be daunting to treat. A Dutch depression expert wants us to take heart: by treating one condition you often reduce symptoms of both.

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• Psychological V Musculoskeletal: an unfair race

  Workers with psychological injuries have worse experiences of the RTW process than those with musculoskeletal injuries.

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• The importance of non-traumatic stressors on the mental health of first responders and public safety personnel

  A Canadian expert in men's health, workplace stress and resilience explains how organisational factors trump trauma for first responders.

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• Less mental illness, more flourishing at work

  Can interventions that target the psychosocial work environment reduce mental illness AND contribute to flourishing mental health?

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• Interventions with workplace contact reduce stress absence

  Contact with the workplace has proven benefits for workers with stress, depression and other common mental health conditions, especially when part of a multi-component workplace intervention.

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• Geography of RTW and mental health

  Do workers in some Australian jurisdictions take more time off work for a mental health claim than others? If so, why?

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• High demands + low control = depression, anxiety

  New evidence strengthens link between job strain and common mental health disorders, with researchers arguing low control may be more damaging than high demands.

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• Introducing ROSES

  In the search to find a screening tool to assist workers with MSDs and common mental health problems, will an Orebro by any other name smell as sweet?

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• Where are the mental health nuts and bolts?

  Mental health capabilities, culture, policies and procedures are lacking compared to leadership and workplace connectedness, according to Superfriend.

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• Action lagging behind good intentions?

  Workers see the benefits of good workplace mental health but think business and government need to take action, according to Superfriend

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• Supervisors reveal anxieties about mental health

  Supervisors describe mental health-related work absences as unpredictable and worrisome. How might supervisor anxiety affect RTW outcomes?

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• Work hours = health risk?

  Working more than 39 hours per week negatively impacts mental health; as do very short working hours. Generally, women have a lower threshold than men.

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• Going backwards on mental health

  Australian organisations are missing out on many opportunities to promote and support good mental health at work. According to a Superfriend survey 2016 was worse than 2015. Are business owners responsible?

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• Do workplace interventions improve RTW outcomes?

  Workplace interventions are effective for workers with musculoskeletal disorders, but the picture becomes more complex for workers with mental health issues and other health conditions like cancer.

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• (Mis)managing mental health claims in Australia

  GPs, injured workers, employers and insurers weigh in on the difficulties of managing mental health claims.

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• Employee Decision-Making about Disclosure of a Mental Health Disorder at Work - part 2

  Part two looks at the processes employees go through in weighing up the risks and benefits of disclosure, and the personal factors which come into play.

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• Employee Decision-Making about Disclosure of a Mental Health Disorder at Work - part 1

  Discussing mental health at work is a complex issue. The authors of this research, Kate Toth and Carolyn Dewa, wanted to study the circumstances in which workers feel comfortable discussing their mental health issues in the workplace.

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• Regional trends in sickness benefit payments

  Rsearchers investigated why claims for mental and behavioural disorders have overtaken those for musculoskeletal complaints

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• Severity of bipolar disorder does not determine disability level

  This study sought to understand whether patients with bipolar disorder admitted to hospital had a greater level of disability than those who had not been.

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• Research short: Improving RTW outcomes with pain coping skills

  Injured workers may have a better RTW outcome if they undergo pain coping skills training before surgery.

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• Research short: Occupational therapy for psychosis

  A study has shown promising signs of success for helping people with mental health issues join the workforce.

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• Burn-out busters! The benefits of psychosocial coaching - the evidence

  This study looks at the effect of preventive coaching on employees with psychosocial health complaints - and identifies some barriers to employee participation.

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• Seeking compensation for major trauma after accidental injury - more stress than its worth??

  A clinical study has identified that the development and persistence of post-traumatic stress disorder following major trauma is not related to injury severity, but may be associated with factors such as blaming others for the accident and processes.

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• GP briefing: Depression

  An evidence-based guide for managing depression-related occupational disability

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• Working for wellness

  On the job rehabilitation can improve outcomes for people with psychiatric disabilities.

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• Depression, anxiety, fatigue: the unproductive trinity

  Productivity suffers when workers are depressed - but are some depressed workers more prone to productivity loss than others?

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• The costs of mental health problems ARE negotiable

  Lowering the costs of mental health problems for governments, employers, families and sufferers

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• Is there a place for therapeutic RTW?

  A comparison of train-before-placing and place-before-training models demonstrates that on the job rehabilitation can improve outcomes for people with psychiatric disabilities.

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• Musculoskeletal problems with anxiety / depression - double trouble.

  People with musculoskeletal disorders and accompanying depression or anxiety have reduced levels of workforce participation. Tailored return-to-work programs that offer more intensive and continuous levels of support may help.