Embrace @ The Kids Research Institute Australia Co-Director Professor Helen Milroy and senior researcher Dr Alix Woolard have marked World Mental Health Day with a panel seminar for Rio Tinto’s workforce.
Professor Milroy told the approximately 450 virtual attendees that maintaining our young people’s mental health is always a journey with ebbs and flows, and that it was important to maintain communication, particularly with younger children.
“We experience it in different forms throughout our lives, and its no different for children. We need to address [our young people’s mental health] all the way from pregnancy to when the brain finishes developing,” Professor Milroy said.
“Children don’t always understand what the causes of issues are, and they do tend to blame themselves. When we think about children, we have to understand that all behaviour is part of communication – a particularly young child doesn’t have the language, nor the skills, to tell you what is going on or what is happening if they don’t understand. To create a safe nurturing space, you have to be prepared to listen, not to jump to conclusions, allow them to speak about it in their own way and own time.”
Dr Woolard said it was an “incredible privilege” to do research with children and young people.
“Our overarching mission is to make sure every child has the opportunity to thrive,” she said.
She added that it was important for parents and carers not to place too much pressure on themselves.
“We can tend to catastrophise a little bit when kids go through an experience. It’s not all doom and gloom. Some kids will experience trauma and may recover straight away, some might go through struggles that are picked up early and they develop resilience. So not every child that experiences a crisis or a traumatic event will go on to experience mental illness.”
Rio Tinto Executive Assistant Corey Casey, a guest on the first episode of Embracing the Mind, told the panel people that having a mental health toolbox had equipped her to handle the ebbs and flows of her life.
She added that World Mental Health Day provided an opportunity across communities, including workplaces, for more open discussions.
“It acts as a disrupter in the day-to-day lives of people around the world to stop and think about their mental health. It acts as a platform for people who may not always be so open about sharing their experiences to open up. It helps to continue to combat the stigma around mental health and empowers people to be vulnerable and seek help and support,” Corey said.
Rio Tinto supports Embrace as its principal partner.
Embrace @ The Kids Research Institute Australia Senior Researcher Dr Alix Woolard and Co-Director Professor Helen Milroy.
Rio Tinto Executive Assistant Corey Casey is an advocate for childhood trauma awareness.