Oh radiant boy
The room dimmer in your absence
Our voices muted as we sing into this new now
No one said your name aloud
We played a child’s game warming up
“ I’m standing. In a circle. With my friend X”
And wished we could call out your name

Here’s some great evidence-based ideas for creating healthy workplaces: http://bit.ly/kE0nhl . Connect. Be Active. Take Notice. Learn. Give. How/does your work environment regularly support these ways of staying well at work? One or two, almost all of these ways? Could you make your work environment better by trying some of these yourself or by recommending them to administrators/managers? So many people don’t enjoy going to work. Now some will argue that supporting health and happiness is not the responsibility of an organization or company – that’s what families, friends and communities are for. Well, given the economic data about sick leave time taken for depression and anxiety, I’d have to say it should be a priority even for the most profit-driven companies.

I’m trying something I haven’t done before. I’ve always been intrigued by the idea of crowdsourcing – from SETI onwards. And now I need some help to quickly compile evidence to weave into a letter of support for a local MH clubhouse. So I’ve set up a wiki (http://otevidence.wikispaces.com/) and posted a request for help on Facebook and Twitter. I’m hoping that as my FB friend Claire Hayward says, “the fb OT masses” will help me help support this great local agency.

I know many of the members of the clubhouse and know how much they value what they find there.

Can YOU help? If so, go to this link

I had the pleasure of attending a one day workshop on Wellness Recovery Action Plans (WRAP). The workshop was repeated over 5 days, with each session attended by 100 + mental health clinicians of various backgrounds, persons with lived experience of mental illness and family members. Such a practical approach and it comes from both lived experience and research.

What intrigued me the most was the suggestion of using WRAP not only for individuals but with teams and organizations. Imagine saying as a team:
“This is what we do when we’re functioning well
This is what our triggers are
This is what we do when we’re struggling
Here’s what needs to be done when we seem to be starting to struggle”

And so forth.

What an interesting and useful team/family/couple discussion that would be! Can you imagine this in your workplace?