R U OK?

10th September, 2020    |    By  R U OK    |     887
“It’s really important to follow up after you’ve asked R U OK?, particularly when someone says that they’re not OK, and provide that additional support. It demonstrates genuine care and concern, it demonstrates that you are able to offer assistance and it really offers an opportunity to be a connector for additional support in an authentic and genuine way.” Debra Brodowski, National Manager of Psychological Services at the Centre for Corporate Health, on the importance of checking in with someone after an R U OK? conversation.

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Supporting a friend with a mental illness

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So it’s really important, if someone’s saying that they’re not okay, that you take the time to listen to them. You take the time to really tune in and understand why. Ask them probing questions to find out what’s happening. For example, “Thank you for sharing. It sounds like you’re going through a really challenging time. Can you talk to me a bit about what’s going on for you? What’s the most challenging thing about the situation? How has it impacted you?” All of those kinds of questions are really important to check in and find out what’s happening and the impact it’s had on that person, and to have a better understanding of the next steps in terms of support.

It’s really important to follow up after you’ve asked, “Are you okay?” particularly when someone says that they’re okay, and provide that additional support. It demonstrates genuine care and concern. It shows that you are able to offer assistance, and it really gives you an opportunity to be a connector for additional support in an authentic, genuine way for them. By not doing that, you’re really missing that opportunity to assist and support someone on their path to recovery.

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