Strategies and tips for a healthy working life

 Summary of the CCS-SPHPM joint panel discussion for Mental Health Week by Zhoujie Ding and Lenka Vodstrcil (on behalf of CCS EDI committee)

Striving to maintain our mental wellbeing has emerged as a primary goal for many workers, especially since COVID first disrupted our routines and changed how we work. In academia, meeting deadlines and balancing our workload and expected output can sometimes be really overwhelming, especially when other issues in life cause additional stress. To provide some insights into how our working lives can be improved and where to get help when mental health issues arise, the CCS-SPHPM EDI committees organised a panel discussion with experts in the field, which took place at the Alfred Center Lecture Theatre on 6 November 2023.

Our stellar panellists

Dr Shannon Gray

Senior Research Fellow, ARC DECRA Fellow, and Deputy Director of the Healthy Working Lives Research Group at SHPHM. Her research focuses on injury prevention and recovery, with particular interests in return to work, work-related mental health, and the role of system of support in recovery.

Jesse Mulder

PhD candidate at Department of Immunology, CCS. His research focuses on investigating the determinants of plasma cell survival. Outside of work he has a passion for exercise and outdoor activities such as field hockey, rock climbing, and camping.

Mio Ihashi

Senior Coordinator at Monash Counselling and Psychological Services and counselling psychologist. She is passionate about mental health literacy training (including Mental Health First Aid) to reduce stigma of mental health and promote a healthy workplace.

Millie McCabe

Co-lead, co-founder, and team lead of the Monash THRIVE initiative. Monash THRIVE is a preventative mental health research and development team working to bridge the gap between mental health research and education, and the latest advancements in digital design and delivery. 

The panel discussion started with short presentations from the panellists talking about their research in healthy working lives, survey results of mental health issues in academic settings, strategies to achieve a better mental wellness while working hard and important resources when you need mental health counselling. View the presentations.

In the Q&A session, the audience echoed what was mentioned in the panellists’ presentations and discussed that the strategies to improve an individual's working life can vary a lot depending on the person but family and friends’ support are among the most important backbones of a healthy working life. Our panellist Millie McCabe emphasised that when you feel stressed, it is essential to talk about it rather than thinking of hanging on and getting over it all by yourself. View the discussions.

Important resources for Monash students and staff

Monash Counselling & Psychological Services (CAPS)

• Counselling Help Online is available if not in crisis but feel unsure or nervous about speaking with a qualified counsellor
• Appointments can be made in person at the University Health Services or over the phone Tel: 9905 3020 (If you need to be seen sooner than the next available time, please call the University Health Services at your campus and ask to speak to the triage nurse. The nurse will talk to you and will be able to connect you to help if required.)
• 24/7 Phone Counselling free & confidential service for students
• Tel: 1300 788 336 (student) 1300 360 364 (staff)
• Counselling is a free service for students
• Up to three sessions for staff