I enjoy being a therapist and helping people on a one-on-one level; however, limiting my expertise to only the clients that sought out therapy services felt as though I was doing a disservice for my profession and to my community. Through public speaking and engagements I am able to reach a wider audience to share my experience, observations, and knowledge about mental health and aim to remove the stigmatization and reservations people have about seeking help.

Why Should My Company Care About Mental Health?

Here are some facts:

• Approximately one-third of the mental health cost burden is related to productivity losses including unemployment, disability and lower work performance. (ref 1 - 2).

• Data from a range of studies show that between 30-50% of all adults in the U.S. experience mental illness at some point in their lives. (ref 3-4)

• Currently, among employed adults, anxiety, depression and substance use disorders are the most common mental health problems. (ref 5).

• Unfortunately, about 50-60% of adults with mental illness do not receive the mental health services they need. (ref 6)

• There are more workers absent from work because of stress and anxiety than because of physical illness or injury. (ref 7)

• Employees with depression report their productivity at 70% of their peak performance (ref 8)

• As for disability losses, depression is the leading cause of disability among U.S. adults ages 15-44 (ref 9)

So to sum it up, when people experience mental health issues, other aspects of their health are affected, which in turn result in decrease productivity, increased rates of short-term disability, safety incidents, absenteeism and presenteeism (working while sick), underperformance and unrealized output, stress imposed on team members, overtime and overstaffing to cover sick-day absences, and hiring costs related to recruitment and retention. (ref 10). Basically, you lose money and no one likes losing money.

Okay, My Company Cares About Mental Health. How Will Hiring A Speaker Help?

Hiring a mental health speaker for your company can be one of the first steps you make towards incorporating mental health into your workplace. It shows your employees that you care about their mental well-being and are willing to invest time and resources to their mental health needs. As a speaker, my goal is to enlighten and engage your employees while also evoking curiosity and establishing interest about their mental health needs. Employees will walk away with information and resources that they can use to help identify, manage, and prevent symptoms of common mental health issues in the workplace.

I focus most of my speaking topics around basic understanding of mental health, realistic ways to manage symptoms of mental illness, identifying the signs of mental illness, destigmatization of getting professional help, steps to dealing with crisis, & how to create work-life balance. However, I can cater my speaking topics specific to your organizations needs and concerns.

I also offer consulting services to companies to determine ways they can incorporate mental wellness into their workplace culture. I often team up with your HR department to determine the mental health needs of your employees and develop ideas on how your company can address these needs.

Alright, How Much Is This Going To Cost & What Next?

I do at least 1-2 consults with your company prior to scheduling the speaking engagement to determine goals your company hopes to achieve (can be done over the phone or video conferencing). Once we come to an agreement of the presentation content I require a minimum of 1 week to prepare. Most of my speeches go for about 45 minutes with an additional 15 minutes for Q&A. However, I can adjust my speech accordingly to any time constraints placed.

Cost: Includes 1-2 consults, travel (within Orange County. For outside OC price will vary), prep time, materials, and presentation up to 45 minutes=$500

References

1. The association of treatment of depressive episodes and work productivity. Dewa CS, Thompson AH, Jacobs P. Can J Psychiatry. 2011 Dec; 56(12):743-50.

2. Employer burden of mild, moderate, and severe major depressive disorder: mental health services utilization and costs, and work performance. Birnbaum HG, Kessler RC, Kelley D, Ben-Hamadi R, Joish VN, Greenberg PE.Depress Anxiety. 2010; 27(1):78-89.

3. Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of DSM-IV disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication. Kessler RC, Berglund P, Demler O, Jin R, Merikangas KR, Walters EE. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2005 Jun; 62(6):593-602.

4. How common are common mental disorders? Evidence that lifetime prevalence rates are doubled by prospective versus retrospective ascertainment. Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Taylor A, Kokaua J, Milne BJ, Polanczyk G, Poulton R. Psychol Med. 2010 Jun; 40(6):899-909.

5. Hedden SL. Behavioral Health Trends in the United States: Results from the 2014 National Survey on Drug Use and Health.Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Department of Heath & Human Services; 2015.

6. Mental Health America. The State of Mental Health in America. 2017

7. Organization WH. The World Health Report 2004: Changing History, Annex Table 3: Burden of disease in DALYs by cause, sex, and mortality stratum in WHO regions, estimates for 2002. Geneva: WHO; 2004. p. 2004.

8. Finch RA, Phillips K. An employer's guide to behavioral health services: A roadmap and recommendations for evaluating, designing, and implementing behavioral health services. Washington DC Natl Bus Gr Heal. 2005

9. Organization WH. Promoting mental health: Concepts, emerging evidence, practice: Summary report. 2004

10. The relationship between modifiable health risk factors and medical expenditures, absenteeism, short-term disability, and presenteeism among employees at novartis.Goetzel RZ, Carls GS, Wang S, Kelly E, Mauceri E, Columbus D, Cavuoti A., J Occup Environ Med. 2009 Apr; 51(4):487-99.