We cannot emphasize enough the importance of mental health incorporate setups and everything we do, write or share with you all is proof of how seriously we take the subject. We acknowledge the problem and also come up with solutions using the tools like Art Therapy, drum circles, Stress Reducing Activities, and also Team Building Activities for employees and leaders alike. But this time, we thought of doing something rather interesting. While thinking about the radical solutions for improving the mental health of people working in corporate setups, we came up with quite a fascinating and radical thought experiment. We invite all of you to engage with us in the same.

What if we had a dedicated ‘Mental Health Department’ in all the existing organizations. Not a guest therapist, not even an in house therapist but a full fledged Mental Health Department like accounts, HR, Sales, and all the other departments without which a company would be incomplete.

What would it be like? What will be the roles of people working in the department? Their jobs? Responsibilities and outcomes of their tasks? Let’s explore and see how it’d look like and how feasible it is to do.

The Team:

CSO or Chief Support Officer: This person is the head of the department. An expert in Clinical, Industrial or Behavioural Psychology. He/She has years of experience in the field of mental health and understands a diverse range of approaches towards the mental well being of the employees. 

MHM or Mental Health Manager: This person reports to CSO and leads the team of other professionals in the department. He/She has a strong academic background in psychology and is also responsible for coming up with new and innovative ideas and processes for mental health assessment of all the employees in the organization. 

AMHM or Associate Mental Health Manager: This person is the in-house therapist of the organization. An expert in Counseling Psychology with experience working in companies. His/Her job is to assist individual employees in their mental health journey by counseling them, helping them overcome their stress and anxiety, and be the most productive they can be.

HM or Happiness Manager: This person is the in-house mental health facilitator/practitioner and has a rather dynamic role. From conducting group therapy sessions to facilitating Stress Reducing Activities for the employees. He/She has extensive experience in working with different groups and using a variety of group engagement tools and modalities like Art Therapy, Drum Circles, and expressive art activities. 

Even though this looks like a far fetched reality, executing something like this is not a mammoth task if organizations dedicate enough resources and thought towards this. Not only will it be a blessing for employees grappling with mental health issues and work-life balance, but it’ll also open up tonnes of job opportunities for people working in the area of mental health, I personally would love to take up the role of a Happiness Manager, what about you?

-Aman Joshi
Taal Inc. Drum Circle Facilitator