What Would Happen To You If You Had A Regular, Mandatory Psychologist’s Appointment At Work?
Imagine this:
You go to work, do your job, chat with your coworkers, have a break to eat. Everything the way you know it. But once every two weeks you have to speak to a psychologist.
Regardless of whether you feel like doing that, or whether you have something to talk about or not. Regardless of what kind of job you’re doing. You have to talk to this person.
And not just you. Every single person on your team has to do it too.
For astronauts living on the International Space Station (ISS), this is reality.
They have many different communication channels they can choose from. The quirkier ones include a classic telephone with which they can call just about any number on Earth (routed through NASA Space Center in Houston, Texas) and a two-way radio from pre-Internet days.
So, staying in touch with family and friends is not a big deal.
And communicating with their support teams on the ground, well, let’s just say astronauts didn’t need a pandemic to make remote work a viable solution.
But still, professional psychological support remains mandatory.
Why? Because the astronauts’ circumstances on the ISS are considered exceptional:
- They’re living in a closed environment.
- Space is minimal and crammed with equipment.
- They can’t just go home when something gets too much.
- They have to put up with their colleagues and the circumstances 24/7.
- If anything went wrong and couldn’t be fixed quickly, they’d probably die.
And it’s working.
One of the things that makes this concept work so well, is that it’s mandatory for everyone aboard.
Everyone has to take the appointment.
Everyone has to take every appointment.
This way, no one has to feel shy about seeking psychological help and no one has to doubt their fellow astronauts’ mental abilities required to successfully complete the mission.
So far, no ISS mission ever had to be aborted because of any kind of health issues.
Why not try this in other professions?
If you read this far, you probably have a list ready in your head of jobs where such a procedure should be implemented. Or at least tested.
And for sure, there are many high-pressure and/or high-risk jobs where a regular mental health check-up would make total sense.
However, I believe everyone in the workforce should have access to such a service.
Maybe not bi-weekly. Maybe not on a mandatory basis.
But every job comes with its unique challenges and every person has its own challenges too.
Even if it’s the basics: You need your job because you need the money. Everyone of us could lose their job in an instant. This possibility causes stress that we have to deal with.
Or maybe you have an issue in your private life and you just need someone to talk to. Psychologists are trained listeners. Maybe you don’t even need or want a response. Just an open ear.
I have tried and tested this method.
I’ve spent most of my corporate employee time with a company that did care about its staff’s mental health.
They worked with a specialized service provider.
And when I was in a situation of need, all I had to do was call a number, describe my issue, name my company and a phone number.
Within a matter of days, I had a first appointment over the phone.
No one within my company even knew I had made use of this service. At the end of each month, my company’s HQ would receive an invoice displaying a total sum and they’d pay it on a mutual trust basis.
What do you think now?
How do you feel about having/not having access to such a service?
What would happen to you if taking regular appointments with a mental health professional became part of your job?
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