How you can better look after your patients this Mental Health Awareness Week
This week (May 9-15) isMental HealthAwareness Week, so it’s agood time for us all to pause,take stock of our own mentalhealth and support others around us. In aclinic setting, you’ll be interacting with manyclients regularly, and while these may only beshort interactions, you still have the power toimpact their mental health in a positive way.
CONSIDERING CLIENTS MENTAL HEALTH
There are several things to consider when it comes to client mental health. Depending on the treatment or procedure, the process itself can be challenging for some. There may be fear and anxiety about the treatment itself, or how the results will turn out. Some clients may have insecurities about areas of their body, too, so making them feel at ease is essential. Below are some ways you can support your clients' mental health:
CHECK-IN WITH FEELINGS
When clients arrive, take a second to check in with their feelings. Some clients might be more open than others, so pay attention to signs like body language, eye contact and tone of voice. Giving your clients an open space to explore emotions means they might be able to process difficulties or problems.
For some clients, this time acts as a venting space where they might be able to get things off their chest with someone outside their daily circle.
PRACTICE ACTIVE LISTENING
If clients do bring worries or concerns to your interactions, try to listen actively to their concerns. Active listening involves
being fully present with your client without daydreaming or thinking of what to say next.
We can fall into these states from time to time, so consciously decide to engage with the client, stepping into their shoes and
listening with empathy and understanding. Ask open questions that show your engagement with the conversation. These questions will make the client feel heard and understood, building the premise for a positive conversation.
MAKING TREATMENTS STRESS FREE
Depending upon the treatment, some clients might feel apprehension or anxiety about the procedure. They might have heard stories from friends of treatments gone wrong, fear needles or find themselves unable to relax. To combat this, try to remain calm and grounded in yourself. If possible, set the environment to feel comforting, too.
Engaging with the senses can help to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety, so you might find lighting a candle or setting the light in an ambient way helps make clients feel at ease.
Before you begin treatments, ask clients to take deep breaths if they seem tense, to help reduce stress and calm the mind.
KEEP LEARNING
When it comes to supporting others, it can help to have some prior knowledge and understanding of mental health. Educating yourself about the different kinds of mental health conditions and their symptoms helps you help others by allowing you to gain a deeper insight into how these problems present themselves and how best to deal with them.
Nick Babington is the sales director of Health Assured. He leads the growth of Health Assured’s Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service through insurer and provider partnerships, insurance brokers, occupational health partners and the direct market. His main objective is to drive workplace wellbeing with industry-leading employee support across organisations of all sizes.
Contact him at: nick.babington@healthassured.co.uk
