Your how-to: Establishing a mental health crisis intervention team
Establishing a mental health crisis intervention team within your organisational setting involves creating a dedicated group of trained employees who are ready to provide immediate assistance in a mental health crisis. This team's role is to assess situations, provide immediate support, and direct affected employees towards suitable professional mental health services when needed.
In the context of an Australian organisation, this team would not replace professional psychiatric services but act as a first point of contact within the workplace. The team will operate within guidelines established by Australia's national mental health strategy and will align with the Fair Work Act; ensuring the wellbeing of employees whilst maintaining their rights and privacy. The work of this team further emphasises a workplace culture prioritising mental health, and reflects the values of mental wellbeing as promoted by organisations such as Beyond Blue and the Black Dog Institute.
Through providing timely assistance and reducing the immediate impact of a mental health crisis, intervention teams play a crucial role in supporting employees, and contribute towards creating a safer, healthier work environment.
Step by step instructions
Understand the Importance of Mental Health in the Workplace: Gain a clear understanding of mental health and its importance in the workplace. Learn the potential effects of mental health issues on employees, and the benefits of addressing these issues proactively. Validate the necessity of a mental health crisis intervention team by referring to the National Mental Health Strategy, and the guidelines provided by Australian mental health organisations like Beyond Blue and the Black Dog Institute.
Gain Executive Support: Present your plan to senior management, demonstrating the potential benefits to the employees and the organisation overall. Ensure to highlight the alignment of your plan with the Fair Work Act and the recommendations of Australia's national mental health strategy.
Provide Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) Training: Engage a certified Mental Health First Aid provider to deliver training to your team. Ensure the course covers crises such as panic attacks, suicidal behaviour, after a traumatic event, or severe effects of drug or alcohol use.
Integrate the Team within the Organisation: Ensure the team's presence and purpose are well-known within the organisation. Develop a staff awareness programme about the team, including its role and how to contact it when needed.
Develop Goals and Objectives for the Team: Outline the specific goals and objectives for your team. This could include providing immediate support to employees experiencing a mental health crisis, offering guidance towards professional mental health services, and fostering a healthier, humane workplace environment focusing on mental wellbeing.
Select Team Members: Identify team members. This might include managers, human resources staff, first aiders, and volunteer employees. It's important to select individuals who are empathetic and open-minded, with strong interpersonal skills.
Establish Protocols and Policies: Develop protocols and policies for the team to follow during a crisis. These should include how to identify a crisis, steps to take during a crisis, how to keep privacy intact, and procedures for referring individuals to professional help.
Ongoing Support and Training: Arrange regular check-ins and offer ongoing training to your team. This will ensure they keep their skills sharp and feel supported in their role. Keep up-to-date with national guidelines and available resources to support your team's work. These steps will help you establish a robust, effective mental health crisis intervention team, capable of making a significant, positive impact on your organisation's work environment.
Use this template to implement
To ensure you can execute seamlessly, download the implementation template.
Pitfalls to avoid
For the intervention team to be effective, all members must be appropriately trained. Failure to equip the team with the necessary skills in mental health support, conflict resolution, and crisis de-escalation can result in ineffective crisis management. Furthermore, respecting patient confidentiality and understanding mental health law is crucial, for example, The Privacy Act 1988 in Australia.
Budget constraints and scarcity of resources could hinder the effectiveness of your mental health crisis intervention team. Don't underestimate the financial and human resources required for ongoing training, staff support, and implementation of mental health interventions.
Clear, open, and regular communication between the intervention team, staff, and management is crucial to its effectiveness. Communication failures can result in misunderstandings, mishandling of crises, and low staff morale.
A diverse team, including individuals from various departments and levels within the organisation, can provide a well-rounded approach to mental health intervention. Neglecting this aspect may limit your team’s understanding of complex situations and affect their ability to handle crises involving various aspects of your organisation.
For the intervention team to be successful, there must be full commitment and support from top management. Without this, intervention strategies may face resistance or lack necessary resources. It's important to ensure that the establishment of the team aligns with organisational goals and receives adequate managerial support.
The effectiveness of the intervention team must be regularly evaluated to ensure they're fulfilling their roles and responsibilities effectively. Failure to review and adjust strategies based on feedback and outcomes might reduce the team’s effectiveness.