This month something a bit different. I have asked Peter Annis-Brown of Manage Health to provide his views on the mental health of the professional services industry. Peter is a qualified Mental Health Educator and Master Mental Health 1st Aid instructor who conducts workshops, training, and courses throughout Australia to leaders, businesses and organisations looking to increase the overall health and wellbeing of themselves and their teams.

Here are Peter’s thoughts in particular on the accounting industry and a new innovative training workshop;

In a recent article, I commented “Everyone’s struggling! Anyone who says the last 18 months has been a picnic really has to look at their own self-awareness and wonder why”.

Over the past two years, I have been involved with a great program called “Counting on U” aimed at supporting business advisors to assist their clients who might be struggling with their businesses and hence their mental health.

Feedback from the program has been fantastic but participants have also asked for more support for themselves and their own health and wellbeing. As accountants and advisers, you are dealing with your clients on a day-to-day basis that are struggling to pay rent, pay their staff, pay their suppliers and to literally keep the doors open! And with the extra workload and compliance on Accountants to help their clients, your own health and wellbeing has probably taken a back seat.

So, with the distinct need for this type of training and support, I would like to invite you to join us for an exclusive Accounting Industry Program – Investing in You.

Designed to help you Account Better (for yourself) this interactive and facilitated workshop series held over zoom, allowing you to access anywhere in the world, (and recorded if you cannot make any of the 3 x series dates) will be held over 4 x 1 hr bite size modules throughout October, November, and early December 2022.

Investing in You sessions will take on a high-performance sporting flavour (I was CEO of a regional sports academy for many years) designed to allow you to stay at the top of your game and remain mentally fit.

Session 1 is around you, getting picked for the team (Knowing yourself)
In this session, we learn about Emotional Intelligence and Self Awareness. We give you tips to continually work and improve on these important skills for any leader and manager.

In session 2 we focus on helping the team (Managing conversations)
This session covers communicating with others and what can help you control your emotions during confronting and difficult conversations.

In session 3 we help you to Stay on the team (Managing your Self-Care) in this hour session you get to create your own Mental Fitness Training plan to ensure you are looking after yourself. As the saying goes; how can you look after those you need to unless you look after yourself!

In the 4th and final session, we give you the skills and tips to keep at the top of your game mentally in what we call Performing with the team (Training and Practicing) and leave you with practical skills to maintain your own wellbeing. Just like a high performing athlete does!

With only 33 spots available for each intake go to www.managehealth.com.au/investing-in-you-program/ to review the dates and times and to book your seat for this exclusive event. Registrations close for the October intake on 30th September if not sold out sooner. Contact Peter at: [email protected] with any questions.

I would encourage all readers to consider mental health training for your firm. Recently I read an article from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales that stated:

Nearly a third of accountants (30.4%) suffer from mental health issues, with more than half (51%) admitting depression and anxiety leaves them dreading going to work. More than two in five (43.5%) accountants believed their job was a key contributor to their poor mental health.

We need to be proactive with this issue and get the best possible training and resources available for our teams.

Mental health is one of the topics we cover at our Young Guns Workshop on 11-12 October.