A global team of leading psychologists makes up the heart of nilo.health’s platform, offering personalized, dedicated 1-to-1 counseling for every user. In our new series, we’re introducing them to you! Read on to discover more about nilo psychologist Julia, her experience with workplace mental health, and her exciting and actionable ideas for how leadership can start the movement.
Hi Julia, could you please introduce yourself?
I’ve always been passionate about why people behave the way they do and what makes them happy. After studying Psychology, I jumped into the training to become a Clinical Psychotherapist and besides this, I coached people who went through a career change. After completing my training, I started to work as a Coach and Trainer for a humanism-oriented consultancy firm in Switzerland.
I did a lot of executive workshops and coaching and got to know very different working cultures. I realized how important coaching is for employees on all levels of an organization. In my work, I apply a mixture of positive psychology, systemic coaching, cognitive behavioral therapy tools, emotion-focused methods, mindfulness and more.
I love supporting my clients to grow and becoming the best version of themselves – and I am always learning a lot from them, for which I am very grateful!
Where are you based, and which languages do you speak?
I am based in Michigan, USA – close to the Great Lakes and Canada. I speak German, English and French and a little bit of Spanish.
I’ve always been passionate about why people behave the way they do and what makes them happy.
How does the stigma around mental health in the workplace affect employees?
My clients often tell me that they don’t feel comfortable sharing how they really feel at work because this could impact their promotion, salary negotiations or the way their colleagues treat them. While companies encourage coaching, therapy and mental health still seems to be something we walk around on eggshells. That’s why a lot of people prefer not to fully open up at work to protect themselves.
What can be done to reduce this stigma?
To reduce this stigma, I believe that the leaders of an organization (as the “parents of the system”) should be the first ones to show their vulnerability. That could be talking about their own difficulties or challenges at work – maybe even in a humorous way – and not having to pretend that they are always strong and can handle everything. This could relieve pressure from their employees.
In your opinion, how can integrating mental health support at work help an individual? How can it help a larger company?
We often face challenges related to other people or certain situations within systems (work/family/..). Mental health support at work can help the individual to face their challenges faster, easier, in a more flexible way and before it becomes too big to handle. Prevention is key! In the early stages of mental difficulties, everything is still possible. If every employee got supported quick enough, they could keep their balance which would result in less sick days, higher levels of happiness and thus more productivity.
Could you tell us about a particular time (keeping it anonymous, of course!) that you’ve really seen your work with nilo help someone?
I recently spoke to a client who felt burnt out by their work. We talked about the importance of boundaries, the impact of stress on our body and worked on some strategies. After only one week, this client managed to talk to their boss to get more support, to reimplement a balance after work, to set boundaries and they already felt better.
What tips would you offer managers or leaders in a company to keep a healthy work environment that protects everyone’s mental health?
It would be great if today’s managers could model a good work-life balance even stronger and show up as human beings who aren’t perfect. That could start with caring more about their own mental well-being, having enough breaks, not having to perform at 200% every day or also allowing themselves to make mistakes and make up for them. Some of the executives I coach know all the tools and methods to be great leaders but aren’t sure how to put them into practice. Some ways to establish a great work environment could be to encourage their employees to treat themselves with self-compassion, benefit from flexible working hours to fulfill their needs and set healthy boundaries.
