Manchester mental health organisation launches VR service to help employees post-Covid

TalkOut was co-founded in 2019 by former HR director, mental health first aid instructor and Childline volunteer, Jill Mead, to provide a strong voice for mental health in the workplace.

The business has grown quickly to a team of six experts qualified in clinical psychology, psychological therapy and counselling, with a MenTalk2 division launched earlier this year.

Mead will now become CEO for the newly-created TalkOut Group, a team of 12 comprising TalkOut, the consultancy business, TalkOut Tech and TalkOut VR.

Jill Mead, CEO of TalkOut Group, said: “It has never been more important that we find new, dynamic ways to support people’s mental health needs in the workplace and having a digital offer to work alongside our successful training and consultancy programme will help us to reach more organisations and more people quickly.

“Many employers were ill-equipped to address the mental health needs of their staff prior to the coronavirus pandemic and unfortunately the situation is going to be worse now. Understandably, businesses have a great deal on their plate as they try to recover from this crisis but if they don’t seriously consider the mental health requirements of their people, they will quite simply have another crisis on their hands.”