Wellbeing Workshops

This presentation on self-care in a post-pandemic era will get you to reflect on your experience of self-care over the past 3 years. It will explore the impact of stress on your health and wellbeing, and help you learn proven strategies to switch-off your stress response system. The information provided will also help you to develop a deeper understanding of what self-care is for you and how and why this is such an important tool in preventing or managing stress. You will learn more about the concept of tiny but might wellbeing habits and comfort boxes or emotional first-aid kits for use in managing stress and distress.

What is mindfulness? Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. Research has shown the benefits of mindfulness in the workplace include increases focus; improves communication; reduces conflict; increases helpfulness; improves emotional intelligence; reduces burnout & increases productivity; and contributes to improved physical health. Why is mindfulness important in a team?

On the individual level, mindfulness encourages employees to focus more on their work by affecting their own attention and awareness. On the team level, team mindfulness is a construct above the individual level, which can moderate the behaviour of team members. This short presentation will provide more information on mindfulness, it’s benefits to our wellbeing, and guide you through a 3-minute mindfulness practice.

Historically, psychology has been concerned with alleviating distress with the assumption that once distress was alleviated, happiness and wellbeing would follow. While the logic here is reasonable, for many the alleviation of distress was not enough to promote happiness, and feelings of thriving and flourishing that’s associated with wellbeing. Further, some people may not experience distress, but these same people do not necessarily experience happiness and wellbeing either. How is happiness and wellbeing generated?

This is a question psychologist Martin Seligman Ph.D. who is a pioneer of Positive Psychology, researched in an effort to disseminate specific information about the science of wellbeing. Seligman identified a number of specific and important key elements or pillars when it comes to wellbeing and the ability to thrive and flourish in our work lives and beyond – positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, achievement, and health (please note not all PERMA(H) models of wellbeing include health as a pillar but we are in this instance). The acronym for these elements, PERMA(H), is the term that they are most often referred to. This presentation will look at each PERMAH pillar and how it looks in everyday life. In order to increase your wellbeing and happiness try to identify ways to include or improve upon each of these pillars in your daily life.

This short presentation collaboration between the Partners In Wellbeing Program clinician for VTIC and partner organisation NEAMI talks you through what the ‘stress cycle’ is and why it is so important not only for managing stress in our daily lives but for our overall mental and physical wellbeing. Evidence has shown that completing the stress cycle is one of the most effective way to avoid burnout and emotional exhaustion.

This presentation provides information on the difference between stressors and stress, internal and external stressors, what happens during the stress response cycle, and suggests practical tips and strategies to help you to complete the stress cycle and identify when the stress cycle has been completed.

Many of us have been hit hard by pandemic fatigue. The constant and chronic ongoing stress around lockdowns and uncertainty has led to feelings of overwhelm, burnout, and fatigue. This has chipped away at our resilience, tested our coping skills and had a negative impact on our physical and mental wellbeing.

This workshop will provide tips and strategies for managing post pandemic stress, how to apply psychological first aid to support others and talk about the important of self-care. The presentation will also give you nuggets of advice on how to reach out, connect, ask for help and support others.

For many people returning to the workplace can bring up a range of feelings including fear and anxiety. These feelings can occur for many reasons including being surrounded by others after extended periods of time alone, having to commute in peak times, nervousness and fears about having to relearn how to exist in a work environment and spending less time at home with the family, even if you were doing this prior to COVID-19, and well as the ongoing uncertainty around what the new COVID normal life will look like.

This presentation will take you through some of the challenges of reopening on wellbeing as we emerge from lockdown, how to manage challenging interactions, how to offer support to others and provide wellbeing check-ins, a focus on the wellbeing of younger workers and ways employers can support them, strategies for dealing effectively with stress, tips to reintegrate post-lockdown and taking care of your wellbeing.

Our mental health and wellbeing include our emotional, psychological, and social wellbeing. It impacts the way we think, feel and act. Practicing care for our mental health is vital to the way we handle stress, make choices, and interact with others. This presentation will cover pandemic fatigue and anticipator anxiety, why mental health is relevant in the workplace and how it relates to small business, the unique challenges small businesses face, how to identify if someone is struggling and how to have a conversation about mental health, what is good mental health, and the importance of self-care. The presentation also provides tips and strategies you can implement right away to support your wellbeing during COVID and beyond.

When someone we work with, a friend or a family member is struggling with their wellbeing it can be difficult to put your finger on why they seem out of sorts. This presentation focuses on how you may know if someone needs help, how to approach the person to have a conversation and the next steps.

The information covers an overview of mental health and ill-health and talks about our normal peaks and troughs, key signs of when mental health is deteriorating, how to have a sensitive conversation with someone who is experiencing a decline in wellbeing and ask R U OK, and pathways to seek support.

Psychological first aid (PFA for short) is very much like medical first aid. It’s how you can help someone psychologically in their immediate time of need. Just like normal first aid, once you have supported someone using PFA, they might be OK, or PFA might be the “band-aid” that the person needs until they can get additional help from a trained medical or allied health professional. In this presentation, I will be teaching you some practical skills which can help you to support colleagues and friends who are not “OK”.

Developing effective conflict resolution skill sets is an essential component of building a sustainable business model. Unresolved conflict often results in loss of productivity, the stifling of creativity, and the creation of barriers to cooperation and collaboration. Perhaps most importantly for leaders, good conflict resolution ability equals good employee retention.

Leaders who don’t deal with conflict will eventually watch their good talent walk out the door in search of a healthier and safer work environment. If you would like to improve your skillset around having difficult conversations and managing conflict in the workplace (with staff or customers) you may find listening to this wellbeing presentation helpful.

Research tells us that men are less likely than women to seek help when they are struggling with emotions, and men are often exposed to the expectation that they will persevere through difficult situations. This presentation will provide you with information on why men’s mental health is important and the social and cultural influences that contribute to challenges men have when it comes to their own wellbeing. We shine a light on unhealthy masculinity and identify some of the risk factors and warning signs for men, provide tips on improving mental fitness and information on where to go for help.

Research shows that our relationship to nature and how much we pay attention to our natural surroundings is a critical aspect around supporting mental health and preventing dis-ease in the body and mind. Evidence shows that exposure to nature or green space has positive physical and mental health benefits, including lower rates of heart disease, stroke, obesity, stress, and depression. Nature can act as a protective factor for good mental health. This short presentation will encourage you to take breaks more often and spend time in the outdoors for an improved sense of wellbeing and happiness as well as lower levels of anxiety and depression.

Being able to tune in to others and use active listening is essential to creating and maintaining healthy, positive relationships. Whether you want to strengthen your relationships, resolve a conflict, or offer support to a person in crisis, good listening skills can make all the difference. Tuning in with active listening skills can help you become a better leader, manager, colleague, friend, sibling, spouse, father, mother as well as help improve your skills in influencing others, and managing difficult conversations.

Work-life balance is an important aspect of a healthy work environment. Maintaining work-life balance helps reduce stress and helps prevent burnout in the workplace. Chronic stress is one of the most common health issues in the workplace. It can lead to physical consequences such as hypertension, digestive troubles, chronic aches and pains and heart problems. Chronic stress can also negatively impact mental health because it’s linked to a higher risk of depression, anxiety and insomnia. By creating a work environment that prioritizes work-life balance, employers can save money and maintain a healthier, more productive workforce. But what exactly does work-life balance look like?

Workplaces that focus on investing in wellbeing initiatives tend to enjoy increased productivity, have more engaged and happier staff, and are more profitable. People who attain good standards of wellbeing at work are likely to be more creative, more loyal, more productive and provide better customer service and outcomes than those with poor levels of wellbeing at work. This wellbeing presentation titled investing in your wellbeing and your business will give you an overview of the importance of wellbeing as it relates to the workplace.

Dealing with retrenchment or an unexpected loss of income can be challenging for many people, causing significant financial and emotional hardship. These events can take a serious toll on people’s health and wellbeing, their relationships, their families and how they see their future. Research shows that job loss or financial loss can increase the risk of developing anxiety or depression. However, there are steps you can take to support people so they can regain a sense of control over their current situation. This short wellbeing presentation will provide you with information on how to support staff through redundancy and job loss to help minimise any potential mental injury.

The Partners In Wellbeing Small Business Wellbeing program offers free and confidential financial counselling and business advisor support services. This short presentation provides information on what financial counsellors and business advisors do, how they can assist you, what to expect when engaged with the service and how to access it.

How to be a Casual Counsellor Have you ever found yourself sitting in the “Counsellor’s Chair” and wondering how you got there? If so, you are not alone. Many people find themselves offering a listening ear and providing emotional support and guidance to others. This might be because of the nature of your job... or simply because you are available at the time of need. In this exciting and innovative workshop, we will discuss some of the key factors that lead to someone becoming a “Casual Counsellor.” We will explore topics such a confidentiality, active listening, and boundary setting. We will also provide tips, strategies, and resources on how to look after yourself and where to go for further support if needed.