Habitus UK

The point at which health care and community connect is fascinating to me. Trying to bring together two worlds that co-exist but take very different approaches to solving problems. It is between these two worlds that I love to build and design ideas, programmes, and services that not only work, but have data points built in to prove that they actually do. Working alongside communities to create and design their own interventions and services that work for them, just makes sense to me. Who knows better what’s needed than those who live within it each day? I see my role as sharing my skills, and providing the supports and resources needed to amplify the voice of community and personal experience.

A fact I learnt long ago is that putting research into practice takes on average 10-15 years. What gets me out of bed in the morning is the potential to accelerate that process. There is just so much we’ve learnt about in just the past 10 years; how the brain develops over time and what communities need to thrive to mention just two. Putting everything we are learning into action will be challenging but the potential payoff will be dramatic: we will be able to reduce loneliness and discrimination and increase educational outcomes and social connections. We will need to be brave, we will need the best leaders for the job, we will need to have the right tools, we will need to measure the right things. I am at my best when I work side-by-side with individuals, communities and organizations, utilizing my relational, community organizing, and storytelling skills to facilitate the research-to-practice journey.

Workplace mental health and wellbeing is an area that is going to see fundamental change over the next few years. It is going to be much more visible and will require a better understanding of, and significant improvement in, how to address the subject.

Habitus has successfully used our knowledge and tools in a variety of settings to produce positive, long-term change in people. I want to bring that know-how to a wider audience of businesses, providing them with another avenue to improve employee relations and increase productivity.

Making work environments better by appreciating the varied needs of employees, will enable businesses to achieve greater success and allow employees to thrive. Assisting employers to recognise the value created by implementing appropriate mental health support systems, all the while helping people with their mental health, is a highly rewarding venture.

HABITUS UK

LISA Androulidakis

Callum Ross

NICK ANDROULIDAKIS