Conversations that Matter: Mental Health Awareness for Leaders
Conversations that Matter is a practical and engaging workshop designed to help leaders reduce the impact of mental health challenges in the workplace. In Canada, approximately one in three people will experience a mental health or substance use disorder at some point in their lives. Many others face periods of stress, burnout, or personal challenges that may not result in a clinical diagnosis but can still affect their wellbeing, focus, and job performance.
Because of this reality, leaders play an important role in recognizing when someone on their team may be struggling. This workshop is specifically designed for managers and supervisors who want to strengthen their ability to support employees experiencing mental health challenges or difficult life circumstances that may be affecting their work.
Participants do not need to become mental health professionals to make a meaningful difference. Instead, this interactive workshop focuses on building practical skills that help leaders approach sensitive conversations with confidence, empathy, and respect. Using practical tools, participants practice real-world scenarios and engage in discussions and activities that reinforce effective communication and supportive leadership.
The goal is to help leaders feel more comfortable starting conversations that matter—conversations that can make a real difference for employees and for workplace culture.
Before a workplace reaches the stage of a formal duty to accommodate, leaders have an important responsibility known as the duty to inquire. Recognizing when something may be wrong and opening the door to supportive dialogue is a key part of effective leadership.
Conversations that Matter helps managers develop the skills and confidence needed to approach these situations thoughtfully and compassionately. With practical tools, leaders learn a trauma-informed approach that guides them in how to acknowledge when an employee may be struggling, respond in a supportive and respectful way, connect the employee to appropriate resources, and reconnect to ensure ongoing support.
Using this framework allows managers to explore what might be affecting an employee’s wellbeing while fulfilling their responsibility to inquire in a respectful and supportive manner.
This workshop is delivered and designed to bring both leadership experience and expertise in workplace mental health, ensuring the training is practical, relevant, and grounded in real workplace situations.
Raven Workplace Mental Health Training and Consulting 