The Working Mind (TWM) was developed to initiate a shift in the way you think, act, and feel about mental health.
It was designed to provide practical knowledge and skills to address mental health and mental illness in the workplace. It is intended for employees as well as managers, supervisors and team leads who manage and support teams.
Three Core Modules offer the same foundational content to both employee and people leader participants. They focus on increasing self-awareness and taking care of your own mental health. The Module for people leaders offers leadership-specific content and focuses on helping leaders support their teams’ mental health. People leaders will complete the three core modules and the leader-specific module.
Information Box Group
Module 1: Mental Health & Stigma
Participants will explore mental health concepts and the effects of stigma.
Module 2: The Mental Health Continuum
The Mental Health Continuum will be introduced in this module and participants will learn to use this specialized tool to monitor mental health and foster open discussions.
Module 3: Stress & Resilience
The impacts of stress on mental health will be discussed and participants will be introduced to The Big 4 Coping Strategies – simple, but proven tools they can use to build resilience and manage stress.
Module 4: Supporting Your Team (People Leaders Only)
This module focuses on strategies for people leaders, to support their own and their team members’ mental well-being.
Course Objectives
At the end of this course, participants will be better able to:
- Define basic concepts related to mental health and mental illness
- Recognize the impact of stigma and discuss how to reduce stigma and other barriers to care in the workplace
- Recognize and keep track of changes in your mental health and well-being, and know when to take appropriate actions
- Have conversations about mental health and mental illness with colleagues, friends and family members
- Identify and practice coping strategies to manage stress and remain resilient
- Identify and use available resources to support self and others
Upcoming Courses
Cost & Cancellation
In response to recommendations by McMaster’s Mental Health Task Force, this program has been championed, implemented and administered by Human Resources Services. We are grateful for the collaboration and strong support from our valued campus partners, including the financial contribution from the McMaster Okanagan Office of Health & Well-being which helped to fund training for our facilitators.
This program is available at no cost to McMaster staff, faculty and leaders.
Those who cancel their registration within seven calendar days or less of the program start date, or who miss more than 30 minutes of the course and cannot be certified, will have an administrative fee ($100) billed to their department. A minimum number of participants is required for the course to take place and may be rescheduled if there is insufficient attendance.