For Mental Health Awareness Week, Horizons Coaching founder Helen Dos Santos shares why supporting workplace mental health and wellbeing needs to start long before crisis point.
“Over the past 10 years, I’ve worked with 20,000 people as a mental health and wellbeing coach, supporting individuals in organisations across sectors including education, the military, blue light services and business.
One of the statistics often quoted is that one in four people will experience a mental health problem. But the reality is that 100 per cent of us have mental health – sometimes good, sometimes poor – and that’s something every workplace needs to recognise.
When I first started my business, I thought companies would bring people to me when things reached breaking point. I quickly realised that by then, it was often too late. The real difference comes when people are supported early, before depression, stress, trauma or anxiety or burnout escalate into sickness absence or disengagement.
That’s why prevention is so important. Much of my work now focuses on helping businesses create psychologically safe workplaces where people feel able to speak openly and ask for support. Through one-to-one therapeutic coaching, workshops and leadership programmes, I help individuals build practical tools to regulate stress and manage their wellbeing more effectively.
One of the workshops I run is called MAD About Mental Health – Making A Difference – which are designed for managers, team leaders and anyone responsible for staff. The sessions are practical, engaging and fun, because difficult conversations don’t always need to feel heavy or clinical.
One of the key things I encourage people to do is ‘ask twice’. If someone says they’re fine, check again. Often, that second conversation is the one that matters.
Recently, after one workshop, a participant contacted me to say he had spoken to a colleague on the way back to his desk and discovered his wife had left him that weekend. That conversation may never have happened without the workshop creating that sense of openness and trust.
When employees feel unsupported, performance drops, teams come under pressure and people leave. Younger workers in particular are increasingly struggling with stress and overwhelm.
Over the years, I’ve worked with over 100 schools and organisations including NSGC, Black Onyx Concepts, Leek Building Society, Ornua Foods, KMF, Michelin, Steelite, Emma Bridgewater and Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce, helping organisations to create healthier, more supportive working environments.
Businesses don’t necessarily need more policies. They need understanding, skills and consistent support.
When organisations invest in wellbeing properly, staff feel valued, retention improves, absence and associated costs reduces and people are far more likely to thrive, both personally and professionally.”
