As healthcare professionals, you may experience a number of challenging circumstances every day. Looking after your mental health is exceptionally important as you continue to care for your communities – to help ensure this vital care is ongoing.
As poor mental health concerns become a more prominent focus in the workplace, the need for innovative solutions has emerged. Today, technological advancements that help look after employees’ mental health are more important than ever.
Healthcare workers are placed in stressful and confronting situations daily. Most recently, the Covid-19 pandemic put all health professionals under extreme pressure, including pharmacy staff. Therefore, promoting healthy workplace mental health is beneficial not only for employees but also employers.
According to the Black Dog Institute, workplaces that support and enable healthy mental health boast improved productivity, efficiency, employee retention and reduced costs.
“Creating a mentally healthy workplace should no longer be considered a peripheral concern for leaders,” the Institute’s Chief Scientist, Professor Samuel Harvey said. “It’s something that needs to be at the core of successful, thriving organisations.”1
Gold Coast-based tech start-up Virtual Psychologist provides organisations with mental health services. Its research has shown that if the text-based counselling it specialises in were unavailable, 44 per cent of surveyed corporate customers would not have reached out, and 67 per cent of rural and regional-based respondents would not have sought support.2
Western Sydney University (WSU) Associate Professor Mark Antoniou says a computational tool developed at the university to analyse test message counselling to identify those at risk of a dangerous decline in mental health could transform mental health service delivery to rural and remote communities.
“So far, we’re able to identify anxiety, stress and depression with about 80 per cent accuracy,” he said.3
Psychologist Dervla Loughnane, CEO of Virtual Psychologist and a collaborator with WSU, says the text-based tool is unique, minimising the barriers to accessing mental health counselling.
“It’s an innovative text-based counselling service, and it’s unique in the fact that no one has to download any particular app and create a login,” she said. “It uses apps on your phone, so it’s easily accessible with no barriers.”
How it works
Ms Loughnane says Virtual Psychologist uses the communication system already present on one’s mobile phone, making it simple and user-friendly.
A person using the service utilises whatever communication system is on their phone, such as SMS. They send in a text, which is directed to Virtual Psychologist.
“They can book an appointment to speak to a psychologist at a time that’s convenient for them,” Ms Loughnane said, “or they can have an appointment there and then with the psychologist, and it’s all done via text. The sessions last one hour, and you can have treatment with the same psychologist over a number of sessions.”
The benefits
Virtual Phycologist provides that 42 per cent of culturally and linguistically diverse people would not have access to mental health support if text-based counselling were unavailable. Ms Loughnane said that using Virtual Phycologist is convenient, accessible and allows people to slow down their thought process.
“It is really convenient. For people whose English is not their first language, the AutoCorrect on text counselling is exceptionally beneficial.”
“Then for people that suffer from anxiety and those sorts of things. The fact that they can slow down their thought process and actually journal out what they’re trying to say is exceptionally beneficial.”
Ms Loughnane adds the service means there is no downtime; people feel more comfortable and less embarrassed.
“For a lot of people, you do not have to leave the workplace, so there’s no downtime. And then also from a clinical point of view, a lot of people feel more comfortable over text, so they actually open up, and they’re more honest, and they feel less confronted and less embarrassed to genuinely explore those issues that are challenging them.”
Learn more about virtual phycologist: virtualpsychologist.com.au/
Need help:
Lifeline: 13 11 14.
Pharmacy support service: 1300 244 910.
References:
- Black Dog Institute. ‘Workplace mental health and wellbeing’. 2022. <org.au/education-services/workplaces/> [accessed: 9.9.2022].
- Virtual Phycologist. ‘Why Text?’. <com.au/about-us/why-text/> [accessed: 9.9.2022].
- Western Sydney University. ‘Tech reads distress between the lines’. 2022. <edu.au/future-makers/issue-five/tech-reads-distress-between-the-lines> [accessed: 9.9.2022].
This feature was originally published in the September issue of Retail Pharmacy Assistants e-magazine.
