Promoting Positive Mental Health in Physiotherapists #physiotalk 1st April 20.30 BST

Physiotherapists are becoming increasingly involved in delivering exercise-based mental health interventions to patients, and more conversations are opening up about applying and developing our skills to help individuals with poor mental health. However, how often do we turn the focus to ourselves and discuss our own mental and emotional health?

Maintaining positive mental health, both in work and at home, is equally important as physical health.  Each occupation has a unique set of factors which can act as supports and barriers to positive mental health and ours is no different.  Promoting positive mental health in staff is essential for healthcare organisations, and tools such as ‘How are you feeling today NHS?’ are available to help staff talk openly and regularly about emotional health.

Many strategies for maintaining positive mental health are well reported – most people are aware that it helps to keep physically active, eat a balanced diet, discuss your feelings with others and ask for help when needed.  What are the other factors can help, both in work and at home? Do we have opportunities to apply these strategies in our professional lives? And how can we help create a workplace that prioritises emotional wellbeing?

 

Questions to consider

1. Why is supporting positive mental health important in physiotherapy staff?
2. What are the barriers to positive mental health in physiotherapy staff?
3. What does a workplace which supports positive mental health look like? What features and characteristics are key?
4. What can we do outside of work to maintain our own positive mental health?
5. How can we support the mental health of our colleagues? How can we identify if someone needs additional support?

Missed the chat? We’ll post the transcript right here afterwards!

Resources

 

Background reading:

Brand 2017 Whole-system approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers_a systematic review

Brand 2017 Whole-system approaches to improving the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers_a systematic reviewCampo

2009 Job Strain in Physical Therapists

Wellbeing in work

Eight elements of workplace wellbeing

Discussing wellbeing in work – How Are You Feeling NHS?

Strategies for positive mental health

Mind.org.uk Five Ways to Wellbeing

Tips for maintaining good mental health – College of Psychiatrists of Ireland