#90: Talking Mental Health with Alfred Achoba

In this episode, my co-host, Michelle Amaral, and I had the opportunity to spend some time with Alfred Achoba from CMHA—Kamloops Branch. Alfred is the Executive Director and has been with the organization for over a decade. During our conversation, Alfred shared his personal career story and talked about why he pursued a career in community social services, particularly mental health and wellbeing.

Alfred also shares a lot of information about the work of CMHA and how organizations and HR professionals can better support workers and have conversations about mental health. We also talk about the student experience and how they can access support as they navigate early adulthood and possibly life in a new country. Alfred's passion for his work and generous spirit shine through this conversation. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!

If you are experiencing stress, burnout or depression, please seek help. I will leave a few links to resources in the show notes. If your workplace has an Employee Benefits Plan, you may also want to contact your HR department to see what resources and tools are available to support you. Most importantly, don’t ignore or downplay how you are feeling. Your mental health is as, if not more important than your physical health and should be giving the same amount of attention. You are not alone, and there is help out there.

Here are helpful links to resources to support your mental health and wellbeing:

• If you are in crisis and need to talk to someone, please call the Canada Suicide Prevention Service at 1-833-456-4566 (24/7) or text 45645 (4 pm to 12 am ET).
• Canadian Mental Health Association of BC
• Public Health Canada - lots of links and resources
• Province of BC Mental Health Supports
• World Health Organization (WHO) Mental Health Supports Page
• Checkpoint.org Provides a list of Resources in many countries

Other Helpful Links for this Episode:

• Connect with Alfred Achoba on LinkedIn
• Send Alfred an email: achoba@cmhakamloops.ca
• Listen to Episode 32: Your Wellbeing Matters with David Trawin and learn about David's journey with mental health as a senior leader.
• Join the HR Career Cafe on LinkedIn
• Join the HR Career Accelerator and remember your discount code HRMENTORPOD
• Sign up for the Newsletter

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