A program designed to strengthen mental health support in the resources sector is set to expand following a successful six-month pilot.
The Resourceful Mind program, which was developed by Lifeline and the Chamber of Minerals and Energy (CME), trains peer-supporters to navigate mental health conversations with colleagues and direct them to services as needed.
Lifeline WA general manager of service delivery Natalie Martinovich said eliminating people's hesitation to speak out was one of the goals.
"What we know is that, that people are more likely to speak to a colleague than they are to speak to a professional," she said.
Peer supporters – or "minders" as they are called in the program – complete five core modules, ongoing group coaching and debriefing from Lifeline's trained crisis supporters, and have the option to complete further training online.
The program was trialled over six months last year and involved 132 minders at Roy Hill, Mineral Resources Limited, Woodside and Simcoa.
It was evaluated by researchers from Edith Cowan University.
Ms Martinovich said there was a risk to peer supporters hearing traumatic stories and it was important to ensure the program did not have any negative psychological impact.
The researchers assessed measures of burnout, compassion satisfaction, and compassion fatigue.
"All of those measures stayed stable throughout the program, as did the minder's general health," Ms Martinovich said.
CME Manager Health Safety and People Laila Nowell the program was set to be rolled out more broadly.
"The intent is now that we can say that the program is safe to have the program shared more widely across the WA resources sector, and that's not limited to CME companies," she said.
Ms Nowell said the number of minders in the program had already doubled since the conclusion of the pilot, including with minders from companies other than those that were part of the trial.
