Taupō tradies talk mental health

Julia van Velden (left) and Jacqueline Chartrand-Glenn hope tradies will open up about the challenges they've faced.

Two Taupō women are on a mission to get tradies talking about health and wellbeing.

With nearly one in five adults in New Zealand struggling with stress and anxiety, they saw the need to spring into action.

The mentality of “harden up” or “get over it” doesn’t work, they realised: the proof is in the statistics.

Julia van Velden came to understand the scale of stress when her husband, Craig, was hospitalised after having turns that caused him difficulty speaking and walking; the couple feared he had had a stroke.

However, the frightening symptoms were due to the pressures of managing the pair’s joinery business.

“It all came down to stress — it was the way that the stress presented itself.”

Despite navigating a tough personal situation, it was a lightbulb moment for the van Veldens, who realised if they were having a difficult time, others in the field were likely to be struggling too.

Inspired by the Tradies Tools Down initiative in Taranaki, Julia teamed up with her friend and qualified counsellor Jacqueline Chartrand-Glenn.

The two hatched a plan; to connect and then support a group of seven to nine local trade business owners to meet monthly: sharing their experiences and the tools that helped them through.

“I want to make it a tight-knit, collaborative, local Taupō initiative”.

They will then go on to share their stories with a larger group of tradies at the October 12 event.

Chartrand-Glenn said peer support was an important part of managing mental health.

“Inviting others to start some tough but rewarding conversations is a priority.

“We’re hoping that they’ll share the challenges they were experiencing and how they got through: tools they used and how their support systems helped.”

The pair have had some courageous volunteers share their stories already, and they were hoping others would put up their hands to destigmatise mental health challenges and reflect the reality that these challenges can affect anyone at any time.

They are also seeking businesses who might want to support this initiative through funding required for the open event in October.

“Be a role model. Be an inspiration. Be a leader for people and your industry.”

Tradie business owners who want more information can contact Julia van Velden at admin@graftjoinery.co.nz or on 021 047 2447