Hearten Up mental health training & community program
Don’t harden up… HEARTEN UP.
Telling someone to ‘harden up’ and just ‘get on with it’ is effectively telling them to ignore and suppress how they feel. Not only is this unhealthy, but the exact opposite of good mental health.
When we talk with someone about our challenges and issues, we dramatically increase our wellbeing. Especially in the case of depression and anxiety.
Humans are creatures that thrive with connection and camaraderie. We always have been. But somewhere along the way, we devalued sharing our stories and learning through conversation. And it has been to our collective detriment as people and communities.
Suicide is at emergency levels, with 10x more deaths than the national road toll… Opening up and heartening up is the start of your recovery journey and critical to not becoming a heart-breaking statistic.
News
What does A.I. say about the latest episode?
"What sets this episode apart is not just Joel's story, but also the wealth of knowledge he imparts on depression as a diagnosable and treatable condition. He breaks down the clinical aspects of major depressive disorder, the symptoms, and the potential treatments with a clarity that is both educational and
Supporting the LS Precast team in Benalla
The traditional domains of silence about mental health are disappearing, and we couldn't be happier or prouder to play a very small part in helping that along. LS Precast is one such business that not so many years ago might have been like that. A precast concrete construction company…
Launching the new podcast!
Be Human, Not Concrete: the Hearten Up podcast, is now LIVE! It features stories and thoughts from me, around dropping the facades we all build up, normalising being human, recommendations on all sorts of resources (genuine ones, not sponsored) and future episodes will have some people I’ve met over the years
It’s ok me, I got this
The single most powerful and liberating psychological practice I have ever done is reintroduce myself to my inner child, and show him who I am now. Yes, it sounds wanky and flowery but I truly don’t care. I gave this a crack and the positive change has been nothing short
Honey, I’m home! (reconnecting with myself)
Last year I came to realise that despite all of the work I’d been doing to strengthen my mental health and overall feeling of being well, I hadn’t yet tackled a core issue: I didn’t know who I really was as distinct from what I’d been told or thought I was,
From superannuation marketing to mental health first aid training
A self-described “corporate refugee”, Mr Clapham spoke to AIST on the tipping point that triggered his mental health mission and turned his life around. Mental health is the greatest healthcare risk facing Australians after cardiovascular disease and cancer, according to The Australian Burden of Disease Study. Its effects are particularly pertinent
Supporting Beechworth To Bridge
There are so many good people, community groups, and organisations doing the good work to destigmatise mental health problems, and the sad end point for far too many – suicide. One such group is Beechworth to Bridge, established to raise awareness and funds for mental health, and now with a…
Learning from the best
Earlier this week I got to spend two days hearing from arguably the world leader in trauma therapy, psychiatrist Bessel van der Kolk, MD, whose book ‘The Body Keeps the Score’ was a game-changer and best-seller (and he signed my copy for me :D) I learned a lot more about what
Founder & Executive Director
Joel Clapham was a young man on the rise, who in late 2013, seemingly had it all…
Then aged 31, married with three healthy children and a home in suburban Melbourne, Joel was appointed the youngest senior executive in the financial services industry, and went on to win multiple awards for marketing and community-building campaigns.
But below the surface, Joel was disintegrating.
In mid-2016, a perfect storm of crises saw him nearly lose it all. Including himself.
Desperate to avoid the same fate as his father, who died by suicide when Joel was 16, he actively chose to be open, seek and accept help and treatment, and ensure he firstly survived, and then thrived once more.
In 2019 Joel established Hearten Up, a mental health training organisation and is a well-respected and in-demand mental health training specialist and consultant, a Principal Master Instructor in Mental Health First Aid, who is also undertaking postgraduate study and training to be a psychologist.
As a former cog in the corporate machine, Joel knows from his own experience how critical it is that businesses and organisations are both capable and comfortable in supporting their people. Because that’s what they are… people.
Through Hearten Up, Joel brings together his personal story, experiences, humour, compassion, and training, to help bring more heart to an often-hard world.
Joel is also an award-winning writer and performer with national tours of two solo shows, Humpty Dumpty Daddy, and Loves Me, Loves Me Not, both of which looked at mental health, identity and masculinity and have been performed to critical success at comedy and fringe festivals around Australia.
VFMC have been very proud to partner with Hearten Up to train and certify more than 20 mental health first aiders across our organisation.
Personally, I valued the opportunity to participate and get a new understanding for contemporary triage of mental health injuries.
The training manages a serious topic thoughtfully and the learning environment is supportive and inclusive.
I feel very pleased that so many of our team are accredited to enable them to support colleagues and friends should there be times of crisis in or outside of work.
It is a powerful capability uplift that will enable all of us to better support ourselves and others post pandemic.
I thoroughly recommend investing your time to build your own skills to manage life and sponsor others in your organisation to complete this incredibly valuable accreditation.
Joel Clapham is a wonderful advocate for mental health. He is open about his own struggles and isn’t afraid to discuss difficult topics.
Generous with his knowledge and time, his insights and practical advice have been invaluable for our audiences.
He’s articulate and a terrific performer, both on camera and as a speaker. He’s also approachable and professional. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with him!
WHO WE WORK WITH
