Leading Through Uncertainty: Emotional Literacy for Purpose-Driven Work

Following our exciting announcement this week, we are very pleased to introduce the Lived Experience Advisory Panel (LEAP) members, who will be advising The Mental Health Catalyst's work over the coming months and years! Forming the LEAP and ensuring that members can contribute in a safe and inclusive way is a key part of our role on the Catalyst. As experts in lived experience engagement, we will ensure that lived experience perspectives are meaningfully embedded throughout the initiative. IfM Engage

Over the past two weeks I’ve had rewarding and powerful conversations with John Mannion (CEO Breakthrough Mental Health Research Foundation SA) and Adrian Munro (CEO Richmind WA). When likeminded organisations can conduct real conversations without any ego real change can happen. Thank you John and Adrian. If we put the people we are supporting first and foremost and are prepared to share resources, models of care, etc in order to achieve this outcome then everyone benefits. Some organisations can and do waste time and money trying to protect their own patch. To me this is old school thinking and certainly isn’t putting the person we set out to support …..first. There is Hope 🙏

World Mental Health Day 2026 Yesterday’s World mental health day feels particularly relevant this year. We’re living with a level of uncertainty that can be difficult to switch off from. Conflict, political uncertainty, rapid change, economic pressures and an endless stream of difficult news can leave us feeling anxious, unsettled or overwhelmed, even if our own lives are relatively stable. And for those of us who are used to being capable, busy and resilient (or expected to be!), it can be easy to keep going regardless. You can be functioning well at work, looking after your family, seeing friends and generally keeping everything moving — whilst also feeling worried, exhausted or emotionally depleted underneath it all. As a psychologist, one thing I always remind clients of is that difficult emotions are absolutely part of being human. We don’t have to get rid of anxiety, sadness, uncertainty or fear in order to be psychologically healthy. Sometimes, accepting that this is difficult, and I am finding it difficult can be surprisingly powerful. Acceptance isn’t giving up. And it doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t try to change things. It means making space for what we’re feeling rather than spending all our energy fighting it, judging ourselves for it or pretending we’re fine. But acceptance also needs to sit alongside action. If anxiety, low mood, stress or exhaustion starts to affect our sleep, relationships, work, physical health or ability to do the things that matter to us, those are calls to take action. #WorldMentalHealthDay

Supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our people is important to us. To mark World Mental Health Day, we're once again welcoming back Clinical Psychologist, Coach & Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Dr. Laura Haigh to run sessions for all colleagues focused on "Embracing and Harnessing Workplace Change and Evolution," exploring the psychology of why change can feel unsettling, steps we can all take to build new habits, and how to thrive in new ways of working. Find out more about Inclusion on our website: https://lnkd.in/ePmdStAF

How can event industry leaders create workplaces where people feel heard, respected and supported? Recently, we sat down with Janice Cardinale VEMM to discuss mental health and psychological safety in the events industry. Want to know more? Watch the rest of our interview by Danica Tormohlen: https://lnkd.in/g83fdk6n

I am honored to be presenting at this years Latinx Mental Health Conference alongside my colleague Elizabeth Medellin! We will be presenting on: “Restoring Safety and Connection in Uncertain Times: A Neurobiology-Informed Approach to Supporting Latino Children, Families, and Communities” This presentation explores how stress, trauma, systemic inequities, and immigration-related experiences impact neurobiological experiences of safety, regulation, and connection for children, families, and providers. Grounded in Dr. Bruce Perry’s neurodevelopmental and relational work, Polyvagal Theory, reflective practice, and culturally responsive approaches, we’ll discuss practical strategies to foster healing, co-regulation, resilience, and relationship-centered care within early childhood and family-serving settings. Grateful to @TarzanaTreatmentCenters for the opportunity to share space with so many inspiring folks and leaders committed to healing-centered work. 💜 #tarzanatreatmentcenters #latinxmentalhealth #latinx #mentalhealth #unidos #neurobiology #healingcentered

True innovation in mental healthcare begins with listening. Today marks World Mental Health Day 2026, centering on the vital theme: “Lived Experiences Heard: Real Voices, Real Change.” In professional spaces, we often focus heavily on clinical frameworks, metrics, and systemic policies. While crucial, the true catalyst for systemic evolution is the active integration of lived experiences. When individuals feel psychologically safe enough to share their realities and when those voices directly inform how care is structured, we bridge the gap between policy and true clinical impact. At The Psychology Parlor, we believe that sustainable healing and meaningful progress are rooted in non-judgmental support. Creating environments where individuals are genuinely heard, rather than managed, is how we shift the paradigm from temporary relief to lasting peace. Let’s commit to moving past baseline awareness and driving real operational change by championing the voices that matter most. #mentalhealthday #2026 #mentalhealthmatters #safespace #listen

Mental Health is one of the emerging challenges that crops up in discussions with leaders in social care today. Although often a smaller contributor to overall spend - rising demand and acuity pressures combined with poor outcomes for people, are helping raise ambition to do something different - something transformative - something preventative. Our work with the team at Lincolnshire County Council has been complex and challenging - but demonstrates what can be achieved when you take time to understand the problem, create the right conditions for change, and then hold your nerve through implementation. Martin Samuels Hayley Eccles Jade Corssen Andrew Crookham Are you wanting to be transformative and ambitious in Mental Health? If so we'd love to hear from you!

What’s driving rising demand in mental health social care and what does it mean for the people receiving support? Following World Mental Health Day, we’re continuing the conversation about our work in Lincolnshire. In this video, Martin Samuels from Lincolnshire County Council reflects on how Channel 3 Consulting helped the team understand demand that was growing beyond expectations. He describes the importance of getting “under the skin of the numbers”: looking at individual experiences alongside financial and activity data to understand what was happening and why. Bringing that insight together with an understanding of relationships between partner organisations helped Lincolnshire see the challenges more clearly and shape its response. Watch Martin’s reflections below⬇️ #MentalHealth #AdultSocialCare #WorldMentalHealthDay #NowNextandFuture

What happens when you’re the only OT in the room? For many OTs working in mental health, that’s a familiar experience. Working in multidisciplinary teams brings valuable opportunities for collaboration, but it can also mean fewer opportunities to discuss occupation-centred practice with people who share your professional lens. That’s part of what makes bringing the mental health OT community together so valuable. The OT Mental Health Forum is a chance to test ideas, share experiences, learn from each other and reconnect with the professional identity that underpins your work. Professional identity isn’t strengthened in isolation. It grows through conversation, shared experience and collective learning. 📅 29–30 October 2026 📍 National Convention Centre Canberra Join us at the 2026 OT Mental Health Forum: https://bit.ly/4b5k2DG