New mental health modules on TAL Insurance Academy
Innovation -
October is Mental Health Month. With 1 in 5 Australians living with a mental health condition,1 it’s important to take these opportunities to think about how we can do more to help members look after their mental health and wellbeing.
Based on feedback from our partners, our Mental Health team has developed some modules for frontline employees and team leaders as part of the Masterclass series on TAL Insurance Academy. The modules provide useful content for approaching difficult conversations and assisting members who may be undergoing a traumatic experience in their life.
Content overview
These modules are available on demand for you and your teams to watch at any time:
| Module name | What it covers | Time |
| Responding to disclosures of suicide* Part 1 – What we all need to know about suicide |
Presented by TAL’s Head of Mental Health, Glenn Baird. Includes general education about the complexity of suicide, an overview of suicide in Australia, and common misconceptions and myths. | 25 Mins |
| Responding to disclosures of suicide* Part 2 – Recognise, Respond, Refer |
Presented by TAL’s Head of Mental Health, Glenn Baird. Explores the framework for how to keep an impacted member safe. | 25 Mins |
| Responding to disclosures of suicide* Part 3 – What this means in a member-facing role |
Fireside chat with TAL’s Head of Mental Health, Glenn Baird, and Claims Consultant, Hayley Rowan. Explores how Hayley has tackled these difficult conversations with members, and how the ‘Recognise, Respond and Refer’ framework has helped her. | 15 Mins |
| Essential communication skills Introducing a person-centred approach to conversations with members |
Presented by TAL Mental Health Coordinator, Vaish Harishanker. Explores the person-centred approach to developing communication skills (known as the O.A.R.S) as we aim to better connect with members. This module concludes with a case study that highlights how to apply these communication skills in a real conversation. | 27 Mins |
| De-escalation framework When engaging an upset customer |
Presented by TAL Mental Health Coordinator, Vaish Harishanker. Expands on the Essential Communication Skills module by introducing a de-escalation framework, which can be helpful when speaking to an upset member. Concludes with an overview of frontline self-care remedies, which are pertinent as part of de-escalation after-care. | 21 Mins |
Available now via Group HQ
You can access the new modules by logging in to Group HQ and then navigating to the Insurance Academy learning platform from your dashboard.
We hope these new modules help upskill your teams and grow their knowledge so they can confidently assist members who may be struggling with their mental health and wellbeing.
If you have any suggestions for other content you would like to see on TAL Insurance Academy, please contact your Partnerships Manager.
1 Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Prevalence and Impact of Mental Illness - Mental Health. Data published 14 February 2024.