L’Estrange-Corbet speaks at Forum on Mental Health

L’Estrange-Corbet speaks at Forum on Mental Health

NZ fashion icon and entrepreneur Denise L’Estrange-Corbet has been confirmed as the keynote speaker for the second annual Business Forum on Mental Health.

Hosted by the Nelson Tasman Chamber of Commerce the forum is to be held on 7 October to coincide with this year’s Mental Health Awareness Week.

“Mental Health Awareness Week gives people the opportunity to celebrate their own mental health and that of the communities around them,” says Judi Clements, Chief Executive of the Mental Health Foundation. “This year’s theme is ‘Flourishing for everyBODY’ and events, such as this forum, provide a platform for ideas and experiences to be shared that aim to promote mentally healthy living and respect for all”

The business forum was established in 2009 through the Like Minds, Like Mine programme with the aim of developing relationships between local health and employment agencies and the business sector for the improvement of mental health within workplaces. Drawing on national and international evidence, the forum raises awareness of key issues, such as stigma and discrimination, and has developed a comprehensive approach which includes the Workplace Health Assessment Tool (WHAT), tailored workshops, educational and awareness programmes, policies and procedures, and resource development.

“No one chooses to have mental health issues, and if I could hand it back, I would, in a heartbeat. But I and millions of others worldwide, don't have that choice. We just want to be treated with warmth, respect and made to feel we are worthwhile,” Denise L'Estrange-Corbet says. “We all have something to offer, so an employer giving someone with mental health issues a job is not only giving them hope and encouragement, but a whole lot more. They are giving us a chance to see some light, in that very, black tunnel we travel”.

Joining Ms L'Estrange-Corbet will be Andrew Bridge, Manager of WORKSTAR Nelson, to highlight the benefits businesses can achieve by addressing mental health in the workplace and identifying changes that employers can make to guard against stigma and discrimination in their businesses.

Tickets for the luncheon are available on the Chamber of Commerce website, www.commerce.org.nz

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