"The ongoing support from leadership and my team makes work a safe space where I can be 100% me," Dinalise Swart, Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner.
Image: A close-up of Dinalise Swart, Behaviour Support Practitioner, who has short brown hair and wears a grey jumper.
World Mental Health Day, acknowledged annually on 10 October, is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health and mobilising efforts to support those experiencing mental health issues.
The theme for 2024 is 'Mental Health at Work' which highlights the significant connection between an individual's work and their mental health.
Considering the average person spends a third of their life at work, workplaces where employees experience stigma, discrimination, harassment and high levels of stress, among other poor working conditions, pose significant risks to an individual's mental health, and consequently their overall quality of life.
Working environments where employees feel safe and supported can act as a protective factor for mental health. So, it is highly important that employers understand their responsibility for protecting the health and safety of their employees includes prioritising and supporting mental health.
To acknowledge World Mental Health Day, Dinalise Swart, Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner, shared with us her lived experience of mental health conditions. The below story is written in her own words.
Image: Dinalise Swart, Behaviour Support Practitioner, stands outdoors, smiling at the camera.
My name is Dinalise Swart, and I am blessed to have worked at Life Without Barriers for over five years. I am a Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner, overseeing practitioners across Western Australia (Whadjuk Noongar Country), where I’m based, and South Australia.
It is my first time sharing my story publicly, and I’m thrilled to be doing so for World Mental Health Day, especially because this event has come to mean a lot to me for reasons I will explain in this story. I have a range of experiences living with mental and physical health conditions. In this story, I want to focus specifically on my experience with trauma.
Having had a challenging childhood and also experiencing events as an adult that impacted me in numerous ways, I was naturally drawn, like so many others with trauma experience, to work in human services.
In this field, and only at the age of 32, did I start to understand myself in the context of my experiences. I learned about the negative impacts that these experiences have had on my self-esteem, relationships with others, physical health, the high expectations I put on myself and others, and the constant anxiety I live with.
With a lot of research, attending training for work (which benefitted me personally), counselling, and discussions with others, I discovered how my experience has also provided me with many positives.
Through my own experiences, I am more empathetic towards others, resilient in the face of challenges, and value kindness and non-judgement.
I’ve learned how important it is to listen to my instincts and share my experience with others.
I feel more connected with others and know that I’m not alone. I have learned to understand myself, which has led to self-acceptance, followed by self-value, and ultimately, self-love and respect.
People who experience trauma, especially as children, are sometimes stigmatised as just being sensitive, challenging, having behavioural issues, or looking for attention. I want to ask everyone reading this, please don’t make assumptions. We don’t know what is going on for people or how we would respond if we experienced challenges.
Sharing my experiences with my team and leaders at Life Without Barriers has been received positively. I’ve never had such an understanding and supportive work environment.
The ongoing support from leadership and my team makes work a safe space where I can be 100% me.
For World Mental Health Day, I want to ask all employers and workplace leaders to ensure you are also promoting a safe environment for employees to share their experiences with you and to listen with genuine interest and a spirit of being inclusive.
Let’s all be that safe and inclusive place for each other.
At Life Without Barriers, we celebrate diversity, and we practice inclusion. We believe in the strength of a diverse workforce where the perspectives and life experiences of our people help us build strong relationships with the people we support.
We are committed to creating a space where our employee's mental wellbeing is prioritised. Our vision is to strengthen mental health and wellbeing and reduce isolation through partnering with people and communities.
Our RELATE framework includes strengths-based and person-centred recovery and wellbeing practice, engaging with families, carers, and the community, valuing and respecting lived experience, inclusive partnerships based on trust and respect, respecting and honouring diversity, and human rights and trauma-informed practice.
Partnering with people to change lives for the better, we deliver safe services that encourage recovery and creativity, challenge stigma, and inspire hope.
