Changing Mindsets on Mental Health — Janet Campbell
For World Mental Health Day, we interviewed public servants working to change mindsets on mental health in the workplace. Here are their stories.(version en français)
Why does the issue of mental health matters to you, personally?
I want to tell you a story in the workplace that goes back 20 years. It was a time when I had a colleague who was suffering from addiction. His life had become unmanageable and he walked into our Director’s office to resign because he was living in shame and chaos. And he said he was of no use to anyone any more and he needed to resign. And my director at the time said: “nope, that’s not what’s going to happen here. We’re going to get you the support you need.”
It was really powerful and transformative to be part of and to have seen how one person in the system did the right thing. It was a successful recovery and return to work for him. How often do conversations like that happen across the country and go differently?
What is the one thing you would recommend employees do to help create a psychologically healthy work environment?
One thing everybody can do is take the time to get to know the people you work with as human beings. And not just as workers.
If we are at the bottom of a large mountain and climbing — what do you hope to see at the summit?
I’m an optimist. I’m also a pragmatist. So the optimist in me says: ‘Let’s pursue the ideal vision.’ But my experience tells me that as humans — as soon as people get involved — things are going to get messy. There isn’t going to be the ultimate summit but there’s going to be places along the way to rest and celebrate and then you look back up and keep climbing.
For young employees just joining — what advice would you give?
Be curious. Take responsibility. Keep it in perspective.
For managers unsure of how to handle their employee mental health issues — what advice would you give?
Nobody’s asking them to become a mental health expert but they are going to need to learn some new things (the mental health continuum and what some of the signs and symptoms of different conditions are). Because it is a new and increasingly common reality they’re going to face in the workplace.
If a public servant is struggling with their mental health — what first step should they take?
I think it’s to talk to a trusted person in your life. The person that is available and the person that you trust. And whether that’s a spouse or a parent or a friend or your doctor. Or it’s the EAP 1–800 line.
Can you share a favorite quote or thought you remind yourself of when things get difficult for you?
There’s this scene in Alice in Wonderland (Tim Burton movie) where Alice is fed up with being shrunk and stretched and pushed around. And the Madhatter tells her: “you’re not the same as you were before. You were much more ‘muchier’. You’ve lost your ‘muchness’.” Later in the film when she’s ultimately being tested, she gets defiant and says: ‘lost my muchness, have I?’ It’s her battle cry.
To learn more about the services offered by Janet Campbell and her office, please contact: PCH.ombudsman-ombudsman.PCH@canada.ca.
