Vergia Davidson - Mental Health Clinician

“Training managers is a band-aid.”

Vergia Davidson is a mental health clinician. She passionately supports organisations to put in place mental health strategies. To her, the backstage reveals a stark truth – mental health is often treated as a silo, pitted against the demands of the business. In our conversation, Vergia shared profound insights into the challenges faced by organisations and her innovative solutions.

One glaring issue Vergia highlighted is the burden placed on top performers. Loaded with double the work, they often retreat when they recognise they have a problem. There's a prevailing belief that working harder will make things better, creating a systemic issue.

Additionally, despite outwardly valuing people and providing them with a voice, organisations sometimes fall short when it comes to addressing mental health concerns. Mental health teams exist, but the voices of employees go unheard.

Another side of the problem is that employees aren’t aware of their rights and the benefits available. ”In hospitals and schools, less than 10% of employees access Employee Assistance Programs (EAP),” says Vergia. By the time they reach out, it's often at an advanced stage, with thoughts of departure lingering. Turnover and absenteeism become the unwelcome consequences of a lack of lasting change.

To grapple the problem, Vergia trains managers. One of her focus is microaggressions. She helps managers understand the impact words can have, which are akin to trauma. ”Physical and verbal aggressions activate the same part of the brain,” she explains. While training managers enables them to recognise when they are inflicting pain and empowers them to change behaviour, ”training them is just a bandaid”, says Vergia. 

She passionately advocates for a top-down strategy. Leaders, she says, need training in emotional intelligence to recognise and understand the signs of mental health challenges, and to communicate effectively. Creating an attractive work environment is crucial. She encourage leaders to be vulnerable and reminds us that ”leaders who openly share their struggles become mental health champions who build bridges within the organisation.”

Before closing the conversation, Vergia shares a powerful reminder : ”Burnout is real, and recognising it requires self-awareness. Prioritise self-care and self-worth, and seek help when needed. Isolation only exacerbates issues.

Book recommendations:
”Boundaries: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life” by H. Cloud and J. Townsend
”Burnout: The secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle” by E. Nagoski & A. Nagoski

Vergia Davidson is the founder of STRiVE, Mental Health, Wellness and Empowerment. She is based in Ottawa, Canada. 

“I help organizations keep top performers happy at work through mental health training & strategy development.”