Return-to-work Processes for Workers with Common Mental Health Conditions: A Practical Guide
Date: October 20, 2022
Time: 9:00 AM – 10:00AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)
CEC: 1.0 hrs.
Registration is now closed
Dr. Ellen MacEachern Download free guide
Session Summary:
Mental health disorders constitute a considerable time and expense component of a return to work (RTW) trajectory. This is a particularly challenging area for RTW management because of its episodic, chronic, and invisible nature. Professional RTW coordination is increasingly seen as a solution for managing difficult work injury cases given the complexity of the RTW process, which requires goodwill and cooperation among different parties. To gain an appreciation of RTW experiences and knowledge, our study conducted in-depth interviews with 47 RTW Coordinators across Canada about actual day-to-day challenges with common mental health return-to-work management and practical ways they had developed to address these problems.
This presentation presents the findings of our research, as developed into a stakeholder-friendly guide called “Roadblocks and Alternate Routes: Practical Strategies for managing Mental Health and return to Work”.
Featured Speakers:
Dr. Ellen MacEachern is a professor and Director in the School of Public Health Sciences at the University of Waterloo. Her research examines return to work, vulnerable workers, precarious employment, and the changing nature of work. Her recent edited book, “The Science and Politics of Work Disability Prevention” provides an international picture of social security systems, work and health. Dr. MacEachen sits on the Labour Market Information Expert Panel for the Labour Market Information Council of Canada (a federal advisory committee that provides independent advice on labour market policy and practice) and is past president of the Canadian Association for Research on Work and Health. ellen.maceachen@uwaterloo.ca
Dr. Georgia Pomaki – moderator – Dr. Pomaki is leader of mental health specialists at Manulife Group Disability Benefits. Prior to Manulife, Georgia worked at the Occupational Health and Safety Agency for Healthcare in BC as research scientist and at the University of British Columbia as researcher in health psychology. Georgia’s work focuses on workplace mental health prevention, intervention, and return to work. Dr. Pomaki is an instructor with the Pacific Coast University for Workplace Health, on the Board of Directors for the Canadian Society of Professionals in Disability Management and a member of the advisory board for this research project.