University Supervisors' Meeting: May 21 Resources

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Meeting Topic

Mental Health Awareness for Leaders

Meeting Resources

Meeting Summary

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this month's University Supervisors Meeting featured Dr. Bruce Westfield, Senior Learning and Organizational Excellence Consultant from ComPsych GuidanceResources. ComPsych is the U of A's well-being provider offering employees and their household members, including spouses, children and dependents, free, confidential access to short-term counseling, legal and financial consultations, work-life resources, and 24/7 crisis support. This presentation offers practical guidance for leaders navigating mental health concerns in the workplace. Dr. Westfield opened by clearly grounding the leadership role: supervisors are not expected to diagnose, counsel or treat. Their role is to notice observable changes, respond with care, maintain appropriate workplace expectations and connect employees to the right resources.

The session walked through four common leader responses to employee distress: confusion and fear; judgment, frustration, and anger; and compassion, with confusion and fear identified as the most prevalent. For each, Dr. Westfield offered practical reframes. A spirit of curiosity rather than accusation, perspective-taking to counter judgment, and bifocal vision to balance compassion with accountability. The Observe-Ask-Listen-Discuss framework gave supervisors a concrete sequence for checking in, starting with "I've noticed..." rather than broad questions that invite deflection. Dr. Westfield also addressed suicide warning signs directly, walking through the 3A framework: Ask, get Agreement, and Arrange support, emphasizing that directly asking about suicide does not plant the idea, but opens the door to honest conversation and timely help.

Key Takeaways

  • Your role as a leader is to notice observable changes and connect employees to support, not to diagnose, fix or counsel.
  • Confusion and fear are the most common leader responses to mental health concerns, and it often leads to avoidance that employees feel.
  • Compassion without expectations can unintentionally enable; effective leadership holds both care and accountability at the same time.
  • Starting with "I've noticed..." keeps conversations grounded in behavior and creates space without forcing disclosure.
  • Many employees don't know that ComPsych GuidanceResources, including Employee Assistance Counseling, exists. Normalizing and proactively sharing the resources is one of the most impactful things a supervisor can do.

Action Steps

  • Share ComPsych GuidanceResources with your team. Don't assume they know it exists (ComPsych Guidance Resources).
  • Practice the Observe-Ask-Listen-Discuss framework the next time you notice a change in an employee.
  • Reflect on your default response to distress, whether it's confusion and fear, judgment, frustration or compassion, and what that means for how you show up.
  • Review suicide warning signs so you feel more prepared to recognize and respond if the moment arises.
  • Consult with HR whenever you're unsure how to handle a situation involving an employee's emotional distress or performance changes that may be connected.

Next Meeting

July 16, 2026