The 27th of January marks Parental Mental Health Awareness Day, serving as a reminder of the challenges that working parents encounter every day. This initiative highlights the frequently overlooked struggles involved in balancing child-rearing with maintaining mental health.
Bearing this in mind, our most recent episode explores the issues faced by working parents. It examines the effects of these challenges on both their personal and professional lives and offers essential insights into how organisations can improve their support for the mental well-being of employees who are parents.
Joanne Swann, editor of Workplace Wellbeing Professional, is joined by two experts in the field of workplace wellbeing:
Guest 1: Karl Bennett, Vivup’s Wellbeing Director
Karl Bennett is the Wellbeing Director at Vivup. Vivup stands out for its broad range of employee benefits, notably including support for family care. Renowned in the Employee Assistance sector, Karl has a rich background in advising on mental health and wellbeing, collaborating with major organisations like the BBC and Great Ormond Street Hospital. At Vivup, he furthers the impact of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) with a focus on proactive and preventative strategies.
Guest 2: Jennifer Liston-Smith – Head of Thought Leadership, Bright Horizons UK
Jennifer Liston-Smith is the Head of Thought Leadership at Bright Horizons, a global provider of work-family solutions. Jennifer is a Certified Principal Business Psychologist who pioneered parent transition coaching and founded the business that evolved into Bright Horizons Coaching & Consultancy Services. Jennifer created the multi-award-winning Parental Leave Toolkit and has guided multinational employers in implementing and evaluating programmes for working parents and carers. Her work extends to developing coaches in her role as a Coaching Supervisor.
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To listen to the latest episode of The Mind, Body, Work Podcast, follow the link here: https://dev.workplacewellbeing.pro/mind-body-work-podcast/the-working-parents-mind-managing-mental-health/
Parental Mental Health Awareness Day
Parental mental health is a critical component of a healthy family life. Parents often prioritise the needs of their children, sometimes at the cost of their own mental well-being. This can lead to increased stress, burnout, and mental health issues. Parental Mental Health Day aims to destigmatise these challenges and promote dialogue about the necessity of mental health support for parents.
Find out more about Workplace Wellbeing Professional’s campaign here.
Joanne is the editor for Workplace Wellbeing Professional and has a keen interest in promoting the safety and wellbeing of the global workforce. After earning a bachelor's degree in English literature and media studies, she taught English in China and Vietnam for two years. Before joining Work Well Pro, Joanne worked as a marketing coordinator for luxury property, where her responsibilities included blog writing, photography, and video creation.