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Mental Health Awareness for Leaders:
Having the First Conversation
Most leaders can sense when something is wrong. A team member who has gone quiet. Energy that's dropped. Work that's not quite themselves anymore. What most leaders don't have is the language, the structure, or the confidence to act on what they're noticing.
This full-day HRD Corp claimable programme gives leaders across Kuala Lumpur, Klang Valley, Penang, and Malaysia-wide exactly that using the proprietary Physis PAUSE Framework© to move from awareness into applied leadership capability.
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HRDC SBL-Khas Claimable
100% recoverable for eligible Malaysian employers
Enquire about this programme
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★★★★★
4.8/5
Average programme rating
"The session provides practical and relevant knowledge on mental health that is increasingly important in today’s workplace. The session was also interactive, which made it engaging and helped reinforce the learning through real discussions and shared perspectives. Overall, it’s a valuable experience that can better equip leaders to support their teams effectively."
Tiffenice Lim · People Services Team Leader · Arup Jururunding, Malaysia
TRUSTED BY
TRAINING HIGHLIGHTS
• Interactive learning & role-play
• HRDC SBL-Khas claimable
• Malaysian case studies
• Take home resources
• Practical & applicable
• Certificate of completion
━ WHO THIS PROGRAMME IS FOR
Designed for leaders who need to act.
Delivered in-house across Kuala Lumpur, Klang Valley, Penang, Johor Bahru, and Malaysia-wide.
━ WHY THIS MATTERS
Leaders are first.
Most don't know what to do.
Leaders are often the first to notice when something has shifted - a withdrawal, a change in energy, a dip in the quality of work that once came easily. Yet despite this frontline awareness, many leaders still hesitate. Not because they don't care. But because no one has ever given them the language, the structure, or the confidence to act.
According to INSEAD, mental health awareness is not a welfare initiative; it is a vital leadership skill, necessary for the long-term success of any organisation. Professor Declan Fitzsimons argues that before a leader can effectively support others, they must first develop their own emotional self-awareness. Managing your own resources is a prerequisite for leading others effectively in moments of difficulty - burnout in Malaysia is increasingly understood as a leadership failure, not a personal one →
This programme responds to that gap with the Physis PAUSE Framework© - a proprietary five-step model developed for Malaysian workplace contexts. It gives leaders a structure for difficult conversations without a script, and confidence without overreach. It is the only mental health leadership framework built specifically for the dynamics of Malaysian organisations.
━ WHAT PARTICIPANTS GAIN
Three things that change after this programme.
━ LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of this programme,
participants will be able to …
01
Explain the leader’s role and appropriate professional boundaries in supporting workplace mental health.
02
Recognise meaningful behavioural, emotional, and performance shifts that may indicate a team member is struggling.
03
Demonstrate the appropriate techniques and language to initiate a supportive, boundaries first conversation.
04
Apply the Physis PAUSE Framework© - a five-step model for navigating supportive workplace conversations.
05
Distinguish between supporting, problem-solving, and escalating, and navigate each transition appropriately.
06
Identify internal and external referral pathways, and understand when and how to activate them.
━ COURSE OUTLINE
What the session covers
We begin by grounding the programme in the reality of mental health in today’s workplaces. Drawing on INSEAD’s positioning of mental health awareness as a core leadership skill, this module establishes a clear framework for what is expected of leaders - and what is not. The goal is orientation, not overwhelm.
Before a leader can respond, they must learn to notice. Research highlights that a leader’s ability to detect “weak signals” of distress in others is directly connected to their own emotional self-awareness. This module develops both: the observational fluency to catch early signs of struggle, and the self-awareness to trust what you are noticing. The conditions that make those signals visible (or invisible) are explored in how to build psychological safety in your team →
Leaders learn to recognise the following key behavioural and emotional indicators.
This is the programme’s core. Participants are introduced to the Physis PAUSE Framework© and develop the language, structure, and emotional confidence to initiate a supportive check-in conversation.
One of the most significant sources of leader anxiety is role uncertainty: How much is enough? When do I involve HR? Am I making this worse? This module addresses those questions with practical clarity, helping leaders navigate the transition from support to escalation with confidence and care.
Mental health support is not built through a single conversation. It is built through a consistent pattern of small, deliberate leadership behaviours over time. This closing module brings the programme together and anchors the learning in tangible commitment.
The final module brings the full day together - not as a summary but as a structured moment of integration, honest reflection, and forward commitment. Leaders leave not just with knowledge, but with a clear and personal plan for what they will do differently.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Michelle Chee
• ICF Credentialed Coach
• HRDC Accredited Trainer
• Accredited Mental Health First Aider (Australia)
• 18+ years leadership experience, Australia & Southeast Asia
• Founder, Physis Global Sdn. Bhd.
Michelle brings a decade of leadership experience across Australia and Malaysia to every room she enters. Her facilitation style is direct, warm, and grounded in the belief that workplaces sidestep genuine emotion because it feels risky and that this is exactly where the real work begins. She has delivered this programme across manufacturing, technology, and professional services organisations in Malaysia.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Helena Prema John
• HRDC Accredited Trainer
• Accredited Mental Health First Aider (Malaysia)
• HR & Leadership Development Facilitator
• Certified in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
Helena Prema John is an HRD Corp accredited trainer and former Head of Human Resources, with over 20 years of experience across corporate leadership, learning and development, and organisational transformation. She works closely with leaders and teams to navigate change, strengthen team dynamics, and build workplaces that are both effective and human.
YOUR FACILITATOR
Von Goh
• ICF Credentialed Coach
• HRDC Accredited Trainer
• 15+ years leadership experience, Australia & Southeast Asia
Von Goh is an HRDC accredited trainer and Certified Master Performance Coach specialising in leadership development, emotional intelligence training, and somatic wellness for workplace performance. Her unique approach integrates evidence-based leadership frameworks with somatic practices, helping leaders develop not just mental skills, but the body-mind awareness that enables sustainable performance under pressure.
━ SCHEDULE YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
Bring this programme to your organisation.
We respond to all enquiries within one business day.
1.
Free Consultation Call
We discuss your team's specific challenges, the context you're working in, and what you need leaders to be able to do differently.
2.
Customised Training Program
You receive a tailored proposal with programme outline, timeline, and investment. HRD Corp claimable documentation included.
3.
Implementation Plan
We handle HRD Corp registration, pre-training customisation, delivery, and post-training claim submission. You focus on your people.
Tell Us About Your Needs
Complete this form and we'll contact you within 24 hours with a virtual meeting time.
COMPANY NAME*
EMAIL ADDRESS*
NO. OF PARTICIPANTS
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INDUSTRY
━ FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Common questions about this programme.
Mental health awareness training for leaders is a specially designed program for people leaders. It teaches managers and supervisors how to recognise early signs of distress in their team, initiate a supportive first conversation, and escalate responsibly when needed. It is not clinical training. It equips leaders with the awareness, language, and structure to act before a situation becomes a crisis. The Physis programme uses the proprietary PAUSE Framework© specifically designed for Malaysian workplace contexts.
Yes. This programme is fully approved under HRD Corp SBL-Khas and 100% claimable for eligible Malaysian employers. Submit your application through e-TRiS at least 14 days before training. Physis prepares all documentation - programme details, trainer credentials, attendance records, and post-training claim submission - at no additional cost.
This is a full-day programme running 7 hours, typically delivered 9am to 5pm at your premises or a venue of your choice. The full day is intentional as the depth of reflection, role-play, and practice required to build genuine leader confidence cannot be achieved in a shorter format.
This programme is designed for team leaders, line managers, department heads, HR business partners, and supervisors. Anyone who is regularly the first point of contact for employees experiencing difficulty. It is not a clinical or counselling programme. It is a leadership capability programme for people who manage people.
The Physis PAUSE Framework© is a proprietary five-step model for navigating supportive workplace conversations. It gives leaders a clear structure for initiating difficult conversations, without a script, and without overstepping their role. It is designed specifically for Malaysian workplace dynamics, including hierarchy, face-saving, and cross-cultural communication. Participants practise the framework through live role-play scenarios during the programme.
The Mental Health Awareness for Leaders programme is designed specifically for people in leadership and management roles with a focus on early recognition, role clarity, and having the first conversation. The Mental Health First Aid programme is broader in scope and suited to all employees who want to understand and respond to mental health challenges across the organisation. Many organisations run both: this programme for the management layer, and the Mental Health Awareness & First Aid programme for the wider team.
Yes. Case studies, role-play scenarios, and examples are customised for your industry and organisational context during pre-training consultation. The Physis PAUSE Framework© remains the structural core of the programme; the scenarios, language, and cultural nuances are tailored to your team's reality.
Minimum 5, maximum 25 per session. For larger groups we can schedule multiple cohorts. Contact us to discuss your requirements.
At your premises or a venue of your choice. Physis delivers mental health awareness training for leaders across Kuala Lumpur, Klang Valley (Selangor), Penang, Johor Bahru, and Malaysia-wide. Travel to outstation locations is available - contact us to discuss logistics.
Our programmes are currently delivered as in-house training - directly to your organisation's team, at your premises or a venue of your choice. We do not currently have open-enrolment public programmes.
This allows us to fully customise each session for the organisation and maintain the quality and relevance of the learning experience. Contact us to discuss your requirements and we will propose the right solution.
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A Malaysian-based corporate training and coaching practice specialising in leadership development, communication skills, and workplace wellbeing.
Serving organisations across Klang Valley (Kuala Lumpur, Selangor), Penang, Johor Bahru, and Malaysia-wide
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Company Registration: 202501014734
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