Member mental health resources

As a Lively Helper, you are not a mental health worker, and should not be providing counselling or mental health support to the members you work with. However, sometimes you may find yourself in conversation with a member who is struggling with their mental health, and we want you to feel confident you can respond appropriately.

What is appropriate for a member to share?

It's an important part of the helper role to learn about and share stories with your members. That's why it can sometimes be hard to tell if something the member has said might be crossing a professional boundary. Here are three simple questions you can ask yourself to help figure out if the disclosure was appropriate:

1. Does the experience the member is telling me about appear to be causing them significant distress, with the potential for ongoing harm?

2. Do I think the member is relying on me alone to help them process this experience?

3. Am I experiencing severe or sustained stress as a result of the member's communications? (You might like to check out our burnout self-check under Helper Wellbeing)

If the answer to at least 2 out of these 3 questions is 'yes', then it's important to take action to ensure you/they have appropriate support. Read on for how you can do that.

1. Offer empathy

Assure the member that they are being listened to and cared for. Here is a phrase you might like to use:

• “I am so sorry to hear that…that sounds challenging/difficult."

• "That sounds so tough; I'm really sorry to hear that's what you've been through."

Avoid delving too far into the situation. It is important to show you care by acknowledging the member’s feelings and/or the difficulty of their circumstances without placing yourself in an uncomfortable or unsafe position.

2. Bring them back to the present

Firstly try to bring the Member’s focus back to the current activity to see if they can continue:

• "Would it take your mind off things if we went and did [activity]?"

• "Sometimes I know when I'm having a hard time, it helps to get some small tasks done. Shall we see if we can [suggest activity] before the end of the session?"

• "Would you like to continue (with the booking or activity), or leave it for today?”

Having things in the present to look forward to and enjoy is a really important element of wellbeing, so by directing the member to their current surroundings, it can assist them to move through difficult feelings.

3. Assert boundaries, request to refer

If the member cannot be brought back to the present, you should avoid probing the member to share more information. This is both for your safety and theirs. You might like to say one of the following statements:

• "I really care about you, and want to support your wellbeing, and I think the best way I can do that is to help you access the right kind of support for your situation. Is that OK?"

• "I'd love to help you find the support you need to process your feelings. I'm not able to help you with everything you've talked to me about, but I can help you connect with others who can. Would that be OK?"

  • “Have you let your case manager know about this situation to see if they can offer further support?”

  • “Would you like to have access to some free phone support from professionals who are trained to help with these kinds of situations? They speak to people every day who are experiencing similar situations/stress/anxiety.” (Use words that the Member has used. E.g.: “I am so anxious.”).

You may want to consult or help the member connect with one of the services listed in the Support services directory.

4. Notify the team.

How you notify the team will depend on the severity of the episode. For less serious events that do not need follow-up from the HQ team, you may want simply to add an 'observation' as part of your session notes.

For more serious incidents requiring follow-up from Lively HQ, you can report the incident following the incident reporting process, so that their case manager can be notified and other support networks activated.

5. Care for yourself

When you report the incident to HQ, that person will check in on how you are doing, and work with you to make sure you have a plan in place to ensure that your own mental health is taken care of. Here are some of the ways we can support this at Lively:

• 1:1 debrief with the Helper Coordinator.

• Access to our Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

• Peer debriefing at a Helper Meet-Up.

• Rematch the member if you do not feel comfortable returning.

• Match a second helper to work with that member alongside you.

Remember, if at any time you need to leave a session because you feel distressed or unsafe, phone Lively HQ.

And don't forget about the things that help you soothe and ground yourself! These might be things like:

• Eating some food

• Going for a walk

• Experiencing nature

• Exercising

• Talking/debriefing with friends

• Listening to music

• Meditation/mindfulness practice