Workplace Antistigma Programs at the Mental Health Commission of Canada: Part 1. Processes and Projects

Abstract

The Opening Minds Initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada has taken a novel approach to reducing the stigma of mental illness by targeting specific sectors. This first article describes Opening Minds' research and programming initiatives in the workplace target group. This article describes the context of mental illness stigma in Canada and the development of the Opening Minds initiative of the Mental Health Commission of Canada, with a specific focus on the workplace sector. We outline the steps that were taken to develop an evidence-based approach to stigma reduction in the workplace, including reviews of the state of the art in this workplace antistigma programming, as well as the development of tools and measures to assess mental illness stigma in the workplace. Finally, 2 specific program examples (e.g., Road to Mental Readiness and The Working Mind) are used to highlight some of the procedural and logistical learnings for implementing antistigma and mental health initiatives within the workplace. In a second related article, we further examine the Opening Minds workplace initiative, with a discussion of the lessons learned from the implementation and evaluation of antistigma programming in the workplace.