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support group - support worker

Best Practices for Providing Mental Health Support

Mental health support services provide resources to individuals suffering from mental health conditions such as depression, anxiety, or trauma. This support may come in the form of counselling, therapy, lifestyle changes, or a combination of these.

Mental health support workers help individuals to build coping skills and to gain a better understanding of their condition.

Due to the delicate nature of this work, it is important to keep a few things in mind.

Establish clear, open communication

Make sure to start a conversation with any person who might be struggling with their mental health in an open, non-confrontational way. Make sure they understand that you are there to provide support, and to listen.

Respect boundaries

Make sure to respect the individual’s boundaries and preferences around how much information they are willing to share, as well as how they prefer to communicate and receive support.

Provide resources

Let the person know about available resources, such as mental health organisations, hotlines, and community support groups.

Offer empathy

Allow them to express their emotions without fear of judgement, and empathise and validate their experiences.

Follow up

Check in regularly to make sure they are still coping and to offer additional support if needed.

At Suitsme, we specialise in helping people with their mental health and establishing best practices to provide really good support when needed. Our support workers all have expertise in mental health; they are checked, screened and employed by Suitsme.

Many workers include their qualifications in their Suitsme profile, along with all their personal details so you can browse and select the workers you think will be a good match. Contact us today to find out more.