All Responding with Respect (RWR) programs apply the 4R Model © for safe and supportive communication.
Responding with Respect™ (RWR)
Creating a psychologically healthy and safe workplace
All RWR workshops apply the 4R Action Toolkit™, which equips participants to recognize and respond to an employee or a coworker when they notice a behaviour change. These workshops use a trauma-informed approach to ensure participants develop safe and supportive communication skills. Bringing the managers and essential employee workshops to your organization establishes a shared knowledge and language as you strive to build a culture of psychological health and safety.
RWR Workplace Mental Health Skills for Managers
One in three Canadians experience a mental health or substance use disorder in their lifetime, while others will encounter challenges that don’t meet a diagnosed illness threshold. Both these realities can affect an employee’s well-being and impact their performance. In this workshop, managers, and supervisors build on their knowledge and skills and learn how to support an employee struggling with a mental health challenge or a situation affecting their mental health. A variety of activities and discussion opportunities, and relevant case scenarios maximize engagement.
Managers will learn how to:
- Build Mental Health knowledge
- Navigate the language of stigma
- Use the 4R Action Toolkit™ for effective results
- Identify practices for cultivating approachable leadership
- Review the Duty to Inquire and Accommodations
- Identify the application of 4Rs in urgent situations
- Recognize healthy boundaries
Length: 7-hour workshop (3 consecutive days for virtual delivery: 2.5-hour sessions first two days: 2-hour session on 3rd day) a 4-hour version is also available
Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 24 in-person
RWR Workplace Mental Health Skills for Employees
Evidence-based research indicates early intervention can mitigate the impact of mental illness or mental health challenges. Employees are often the first to notice a change in a coworker’s behaviour but lack the skills to speak with them about their observations and concerns. Employees will learn how to engage their coworkers in a respectful conversation to bring awareness of the change, using safe and supportive communication skills.
Employees will learn how to:
- Build Mental Health Knowledge
- Navigate the language of stigma
- Understand the Mental Health Continuum
- Be aware of the impacts of Mental Health
- Use the 4R Action Toolkit™ to develop skills to talk with coworkers
- Increase awareness of self-care for mental health
Length: 4-hour workshop (virtual delivery: 2 consecutive days; 2-hour session each day)
Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 24 in-person
RWR On the Frontline
Building on the service expertise of your frontline staff and recognizing their role as Brand Ambassadors. In this training, the RWR 4R Model © is applied to the customer/client relationship. Participants will:
- Discover how to create a safe space
- Review common mental illnesses
- Develop Respectful Responding skills
- Challenge myths and stigma
- Apply new knowledge to custom case studies
- Learn the Mental Health Continuum
- Explore self-awareness
Length: 4-hour workshop (virtual delivery: 2 consecutive days; 2-hour session each day)
Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 24 in-person
RWR On the Frontline – Help & Hope
This training includes the RWR On the Front Line – Basic content and takes a deeper dive into mental health problems and their associated behaviours. Participants practice with custom, complex case studies.
Length: 7-hour workshop (virtual delivery: 3 consecutive days; 2.5-hour sessions first two days: 2-hour session on 3rd day)
Maximum number of participants: 15 virtually – 24 in-person
Mini Workshops
Lunch & Learn: Let’s Get Honest About Mental Health
We all know what it’s like to have a low mood or to feel distressed; we can experience this on any given day or can sometimes experience this feeling for a week or more. That’s right, from the executive offices to the mailroom, we all get out of sorts from time to time, and stress can often be the culprit behind our feelings. In this presentation, participants will build knowledge of mental health, discover why self-awareness is so important, explore sources and types of stress, and learn some practical strategies to navigate through them.
Lunch & Learn: This is Empathy
Just as Canadians are experiencing pandemic fatigue after two long years, research suggests that Canadians may also be experiencing “empathy fatigue”. This and the social ills that permeate our communities: mental health stigma, gender bias, and racism, give cause for a renewal of empathy and understanding of each other. In this workshop participants build mental health knowledge, and explore empathy to refresh and strengthen their empathetic skills.
Length: 1 or 1.5 hours, depending on group size
Maximum number of participants: This can be a large group, keeping in mind the larger the group the less discussion time.
To learn more about bringing Responding With Respect training to your community or workplace, please contact us at 778-986-2524 or courses.vf@cmha.bc.ca.
© 2022 by Canadian Mental Health Association, Vancouver-Fraser Branch.