Helen Piper is Hear2Talk

Hear2Talk is a free phone service that provides confidential support to help you manage feelings of stress, anxiety and burnout that are affecting your work and everyday life. As part of a series of articles in October to mark National Mental Health Month, the Flame asked Helen Piper, the Service Manager at Hear2Talk of Neami National, to tell us more about this service.

Why were you drawn to Hear2Talk?

Hear2Talk is a unique service. Neami has for years supported and advocated the value of lived experience Peer Workers in mental health settings, but being able to offer a peer-run service to the general community is something new. It’s exciting to be leading a service that is supporting the one in six workers across NSW who experience poor mental health with a practical and accessible service.

What are the most common calls you receive, and what are they related to?

Many of the calls have been related to people feeling stressed and worried about workplace situations that they don’t know how to manage. Often because of isolation, lack of support, navigating challenging relationships or juggling work and life.

Whilst people call with all different reasons, at the end of each call what I come to reflect on is that everybody just wants to be heard. We provide a judgement-free space for people to talk through what’s going on for them. By just listening and allowing someone to process their thoughts, they tend to come to a realisation of what it is they need to do to improve their situation. We just provide that space, and sometimes we have follow-up calls to support a caller with what they’re working on, but the aim is to support them to a point where they can work things out for themselves.

Can you tell us when you’ve experienced stress in the workplace and how you manage it?

I have experience juggling stressful work situations while at the same time trying to manage challenging life and personal emotions.

I know that to maintain my own well-being, I can’t ignore the basic things that keep me well. Things like eating healthy food, keeping active, spending time with my little family, chatting to friends and limiting my time on social media. These keep my mind on track to have healthy thoughts and be ready to cope when life throws in some hiccups – most of the time.

How can people best identify mental health challenges that will improve work-life balance?

Work out what works for you. Reflect on when you have been feeling your best – what were you doing in your life that made you feel that way? And on the contrary, think about the times when you’re not doing so well – what’s happening and what’s within your control to change or improve?

It can be hard to sit in a space of personal reflection, but it’s important to remember that there is always someone who can support you. If it’s starting with a visit to your GP, reaching out to friends or family, or calling Hear2Talk, there is someone who will listen.

For more information, visit the website. The service is open to all workers in NSW and is available from 12pm to 8pm, seven days a week.

Call Hear2Talk 1300 428 255.