Mind’s Wellness Action Plan (WAP) is inspired by Mary Ellen Copeland’s Wellness Recovery Action Plan® (WRAP)® – an evidence-based system for managing mental health, improving wellbeing & supporting recovery

WAPs are a personalised, practical tool we can all use – whether we have a mental health problem or not. They can help us identify what keeps us well at work, what causes us to become unwell, and how to address a mental health problem at work. It also creates an opportunity for a conversation with your manager or supervisor, to help them to better understand your needs and experiences and ultimately better support your mental health. This in turn leads to increased job satisfaction, greater productivity, and better performance.

We all have mental health just as we all have physical health, and this WAP has been designed to support us all to manage our mental health, wherever we are on the continuum. If you work remotely, a WAP can help you identify how best your manager can support you and overcome the barriers which this style of working can present. If you have been off work due to a mental health problem, WAPs are also particularly helpful during the return to work process, as they provide a structure for conversations around what support will help you and what adjustments might be useful to discuss and consider with your manager.

How do WAPs help me as an employee?

As an employee, a WAP can help you:

• think about and share what supports your mental health at work
• think about and share what makes you unwell at work
• think about and share things that can help keep you well
• talk about what support you need for a specific mental health problem
• review your experience and approach regularly and make sure the support you receive is the best for you right now
• feel empowered and in control

If you don’t feel comfortable talking to your manager about mental health specifically, WAPs are especially helpful. They are a good way to share what makes you happy and keeps you well – and what makes you stressed and unhappy too.

How do WAPs Help Me As A Manager?

WAPs can help you fulfil your duties as a line manager:

• Help structure & start conversations about mental health with your staff
• Help you understand the experiences & needs of your staff
• Help with identifying & considering reasonable adjustments
• Help ensure staff are supported appropriately returning to work after absence
• Show new starters that you are committed to their wellbeing

Mind have created the following four guides to support you create your own WAP: