The CIOB Yorkshire Hubs presented a morning conference on preventing, spotting and treating mental health issues. With specialists and personal stories, it provided tools to tackle this unseen epidemic.
CIOB CEO Caroline Gumble (pictured above) spoke on the importance of remembering the people behind the statistics and ensuring this is kept at the centre of workplace practice.
Emily Pearson of Our Mind’s Work looked into the continuum of mental health we all share and how this parallels to physical health. Successful interventions at Laing O’Rourke and Galliford Try were shared by Laura Burke of Laing O’Rourke and Joscelyne Shaw of Mates in Mind, while Euan Lawrence of law firm Blacks spoke on the legal responsibilities of companies and managers and Turner & Townsend director Peter Foy addressed the role of mental health first aiders.
The standout speaker was Martin Warley of Network Rail who shared his story of battling depression and his suicide attempt. This moving story brought home to all the importance of this topic and the positive message that there are ways to recover.
One attendee stated: “It was honestly one of the best events I’ve attended in this industry.”
The event will be available on the CIOB Academy website as a webinar.