Coinciding with World Mental Health Day on October 10, Beyond Blue has shared mental health coaching tips to help people navigate everyday life stresses.
Developed by Beyond Blue in 2013, NewAccess provides support for mild to moderate anxiety, depression, and life stresses, using specially-trained and clinically-supervised mental health coaches. It’s free and doesn’t require a GP referral.
NewAccess mental health coach Gemma Danahay supports people using a low intensity Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, CBT, coaching program.
“More and more people are coming to me due to financial stress, as cost-of-living pressures escalate. The other main issues are relationship problems, work stresses, grief and loss and sudden life changes,” Ms Danahay said.
“I have found many people are looking for more than just someone to talk to, they want to walk away with practical suggestions. In mental health coaching, people receive proactive skills and tools to work on the problems affecting their mental health.
“Part of coaching is also around relapse prevention, so any dips in mood are an opportunity to explore early warning signs and what helps the person feel better so that they know what to do with any future drops on the roller coaster of life.”
The five practical coaching tips to help relieve stresses that can build up are:
- Deal with problems one at a time – break down problems into bite-size pieces.
- Notice common thinking traps – all or nothing thinking, self-blame, repetitive thinking.
- Have realistic goals – make it achievable, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
- Balance is key – schedule pleasurable activities as well as work/family commitments.
- Healthy habits – keep both body and mind healthy.
Beyond Blue’s lead clinician Dr Grant Blashki said there were multiple benefits to using low intensity CBT and problem solving to support our mental health.
“These techniques are based on evidence and are shown to improve clinical outcomes for common mental health conditions like depression and anxiety. People who are using the skills are often able to reduce their negative thinking patterns, the severity of their symptoms, and find that they develop new coping skills that they can apply to other problems in their lives,” Dr Blashki said.
“A structured approach helps people to stay focused on their goals and people often come away feeling quite empowered that they have some new strategies to manage common stresses in life.
“An added benefit is these are skills that are useful in relationships, in parenting, and even in a workplace context and help people to be able to zoom out and look at thoughts, feelings and actions in day-to-day situations.”
