Constructive Support for Mental Health

Juliet Woodward explains the Importance of Mental Health in the Leisure Industry

Community concern about mental illness has grown steadily in recent years, a concern which has skyrocketed because of COVID-19. Over the past few years, the most common reason people visit their local GP is related to a mental health concern (RACGP Health of the Nation). A staggering 45% of Australians will experience a mental illness in their lifetime (Black Dog Institute). Worryingly, mental illness is highest among younger people, which if not addressed may have a lifelong impact. Gaining timely access to mental health supports remains a major obstacle to addressing this challenge.

Compelling research has shown that regular participation in physical activity can greatly assist a person to manage and improve their mental health, and this occurs across a range of conditions such as anxiety, depression, psychosis. The leisure industry offers a key avenue for supporting those who may experience mental illness to connect to regular physical activity in an environment that is welcoming, supportive and inclusive.

Consequently, staff who work at leisure facilities play an important role in supporting the mental health of their local communities. As the main point of contact with customers at leisure centres, they essentially form the frontline support for interaction with members of the community seeking to improve their health and fitness. Placing an emphasis on mental health Recognising several years ago the avalanche of mental illness impacting the community and sport and physical activity sectors and how this may directly impact employees, Belgravia Leisure, in partnership with the Belgravia Foundation, initiated a strategy to support staff and community mental health.

The holistic approach identified the key role that team members within leisure facilities play in directly influencing positive mental health in customers, while also acknowledging that these same team members, their families and acquaintances may themselves be impacted by mental illness at any stage in their lives.

From mid-2019, Belgravia Leisure trialled Mental Health First Aid training for staff in the leisure sector across five leisure facilities. The trial was a success and in February 2020, a project to provide Mental Health First Aid training to 1,100 staff members commenced, and when finished is expected to provide support for over 20 million visitors to venues under operation.

Mental Health support programs were also initiated to support vulnerable youth and adults living with mental illness in local communities through the Take Charge! programs - free, health professional referral-based programs that give access and support for participants encountering mental health challenges. The participants receive personalised support to engage in exercise at leisure centres for 60 days, followed by a negotiated co-contribution based on the individual’s financial situation for ongoing access to the facility.

In addition to supporting communities, an Employee Assistance Program was also made available for all Belgravia employees to provide short-term and solutions focused counselling, providing access to immediate no-cost confidential support to staff.

Belgravia Leisure Chief Executive, Nick Cox, who has always believed that mental health and the leisure industry are intrinsically linked, explains “our goal of connecting community to leisure and fitness extends to connecting our people to resources that enable them to improve their mental and physical health.

“We’ve worked with the Belgravia Foundation to provide mental health training and education for all of our staff members, but when COVID-19 escalated here in Australia and New Zealand, we realised that we needed to provide additional resources for our teams to weather this storm.” Mental Health First Aid training and awareness Just as mental health in the community should be a priority for the leisure industry, it is also imperative to support the mental health of staff working in the industry. Arguably, there has been no greater widespread challenge on the mental wellbeing of leisure staff as in March 2020 when the repercussions of COVID-19 and the subsequent government mandated lockdowns came into place.

Commencing in late July 2020, a Mental Health Awareness (MHA) training program was promoted by Belgravia Leisure to all staff members and to the entire leisure and sport sectors, tailored specifically for the sport and physical activity sectors with very close relevance to the leisure and fitness industry. This training program was designed to provide anyone working within these sectors with the knowledge, understanding and confidence to support mental health within themselves or in the local communities in which they work, live and visit.

Nearly 1,000 Belgravia Leisure employees who were surveyed after undergoing the training program reported a 16% increase in confidence and readiness to support anyone with a mental health issue; a 24% increase in confidence to adapt their programs to accommodate a person’s mental health needs; a 22% increase in awareness of the barriers to physical activity as a result of poor mental health. Pleasingly, 92% rated supporting community mental health through leisure services as important.

Daniel McShane, Centre Manager at Moreton Bay Region’s Burpengary Regional Aquatic and Leisure Centre in South East Queensland, found the MHA training program extremely beneficial for his team, advising “I believe that mental health influences our quality of life and to have a thriving community, we need to be in a position to assist those who have challenges with their mental health..

“The Mental Health Awareness Training helped me and my team become aware of our own thought patterns and barriers. It also helped us to be aware of any changes in team members or customers that could signify a mental health concern.”

Finding the training beneficial for his own mental health, McShane noted “completing the training and therefore having more knowledge about mental health helped me identify a few changes that were potentially leading me to a negative mental state. It helped me analyse my thought patterns and barriers. For example, I hadn’t even realised that I had stopped my fitness training until I completed the Mental Health Awareness Training program.”

McShane since resumed his fitness regimen and is in a much more positive mind frame.

Access and Inclusion Coordinator Kim Sheen agrees that the Mental Health First Aid program helped her become more cognizant of her own mental health.

Sheen advises “I have had issues with my mental health since I was a teenager and reached out for help but never really followed through with things. I ‘thought’ things out instead. The MHA program has given me the support I need to further reach out for help and encourage others to do the same.” The path forward Mental health awareness should remain a priority in the leisure industry as it is uniquely positioned to support members of local communities on the path to improved mental health. It may be a difficult subject to broach with customers, but a conversation about possible mental challenges and an adapted physical program can make the world of a difference to a person’s mental wellbeing.

As an Access and Inclusion Coordinator at Kilsyth Centenary

Program at the Trust House Recreation Centre.

Pool, Sheen has witnessed first-hand the benefits of physical exercise to one’s mental state, commenting “I work with students who have all sorts of varying medical conditions but my focus is always their mental health as a priority. One of my favourite pieces of feedback I have ever received from a parent was that their child always went home after our lessons feeling happy, calm, and relaxed and it was because they got the opportunity to talk. If they can be happy and enjoy being in the pool then everything else, the therapy, the water safety skills and the exercise they receive during lessons is a bonus.” Customers who attend Burpengary Regional Aquatic and Leisure Centre have also reached out to McShane to talk about how using the gym and pool really supports not just their physical health, but their mental health as well.

He adds “we don’t realise until we have these conversations how important it is to do what we do in the leisure industry, and the positive impact that our facilities can have on a person’s mental health.”

Having grown up with immediate family with mental conditions and experiencing them herself, Sheen concludes “I can never undersell the importance of offering support and raising awareness to dispel stereotypes around mental health. This is so incredibly important for communities and workplaces. Knowing that someone cares is vital to a person with a mental health condition.”

Ongoing mental health awareness training and education within the industry can instil confidence in employees within the industry to have these conversations with their customers and provide the support that they may need. Juliet Woodward is Media and Communications Officer for Belgravia Leisure.