Students explore mental health and well-being support for construction workers
By: Communications
A group of Occupational Therapy students have collaborated with local companies to explore mental health and well-being support for construction workers.
The creative project that happens in the final year of the Occupational Therapy programme sees students explore the creative roots of the profession, and helps to support the health and well-being of a group of individuals not traditionally supported by Occupational Therapy services.
This year, one group chose to work alongside their staff mentor to explore support for the construction industry. Statistics within this industry are devastating, with two construction workers taking their own life every day in the UK, presenting a three times higher risk of suicide compared to alternative occupational domains.
Well-being Wall
The group developed the “Well-being Wall” – an intervention to be delivered within groups or 1:1 – using the decoration of bricks as a form of creative expression and outlet to start to break the stigma and open up conversations, all while creating a physical, lasting reminder of the importance of these vital conversations about mental health.
Image: Well-Being Wall – an intervention concept developed by the Occupational Therapy student project
The group worked collaboratively with a local vocational education centre, St Edmunds, and local brickwork contractor East Anglia Brickwork Ltd, to help understand the challenges faced by the industry and therefore ensure the authenticity of their approach to align with identified need.
Encouragingly, St Edmunds have expressed interest in implementing this among their bricklaying students, and the Occupational Therapy student group have been accepted to present their project at The Royal College of Occupational Therapists Annual Conference 2024.
#MakeItVisible
The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity is a national charity which supports the mental health and well-being of construction workers and their families. Impressed by the students’ project, the charity invited those involved along to their #MakeItVisible tour.
Their national campaign – #MakeItVisible – sees them visit construction sites across the UK to spread awareness of the vital work they are doing to tackle the suicide statistics in this industry.
Image: #MakeItVisible tour van on site in Norfolk
Working collaboratively with East Anglia Brickwork Ltd and Lovells Homes to organise the event, the students met The Lighthouse Construction Industry Charity Team, Dale and Justin, on site on Monday 29 April.
Armed with bacon rolls (which were funded by the School of Health Sciences), the workers on site were encouraged to down their tools for 30 minutes to attend the event. The students were able to observe the powerful talk presented to the construction workers on site and witness the support made available to those in need.
Charmaine Chandler, Lecturer in Occupational Therapy, said: “It was inspiring to see the hard work of the charity in bringing this message on site, making it accessible to those in need, both directly and indirectly – to ensure those leaving the talk were armed with the information to share with others. The students also had the opportunity to talk to the charity about their project and the collaborative work with local organisations.
“This is an example of some fantastic work achieved by this group of students, going above and beyond for a project they feel passionate about!”
Related Articles
New Pro-Vice-Chancellor appointed for Medicine and Health Sciences
Prof Philip Baker will join UEA as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) for the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences from the University of Leicester, where he is currently PVC for Research and Enterprise, in February 2025.
Read more
New research highlights the overlooked dangers of subtle and covert abuse in intimate relationships
New research from the University of East Anglia has uncovered a significant gap in understanding of a harmful form of domestic abuse known as subtle or covert abuse.
Read more
Innovation and Impact Awards now open for entries and nominations
The Innovation and Impact Awards are back for 2025 and looking to recognise and reward UEA’s most game changing staff, students, and graduates, and their collaborative work with partners outside the University.
Read more