Callum Ross (he/him)

I love helping charities and grassroots organisations to establish themselves and track the great work they’re doing. I also thrive on working with ambitious organisations that are ready for a challenge and are keen to make big, measurable changes to create a well-thought-out mental health policy. This is alongside supplying the tools and frameworks needed to make this as easy as possible.

My background…

I started my career as a police officer in London, and during that time I saw many of the causes and effects of poor mental health. I realised change is possible if you target mental health on an individual level, addressing the root causes and focusing on people’s strengths, rather than punishing them.

Since then, over my 15 years in mental health care, I’ve worked across numerous sectors in roles that encompass everything from child welfare and national policy issues for the Canadian Mental Health Association to starting the first Innovation Lab for social workers in England and creating Canada’s largest, cross-organisation workforce of peer-support workers. I’ve also sat on a number of boards and I am currently a trustee for Scots Care, a 400-year-old organisation that helps Scottish people living in London.

How I can help…

For me, strategic planning is key, alongside collaboration. Often businesses, services and charities compete against each other and one of my main goals is to bring together mental health providers, addiction specialists and other areas of support to work together on the bigger picture.

I like to look at how a person’s environment supports great mental health, too. Where they live, who they know, who they talk to and where they work all impacts on their overall health. And it’s not just about what and how much an organisation is doing when it comes to mental health. It’s important to ask ‘Why?’. Why are we doing that? Why will doing this thing result in that?

Lastly, I’m a good storyteller, and I love sharing the evidence and research that explains why things actually work (or don’t). Communicating this to families, staff and communities in understandable language can really help.

The future of mental health care…

If organisations and leaders have the know-how to understand the difference between a good intervention and a bad intervention, alongside good tools and good training, it will result in resilient staff and individuals who can deal with life’s inevitable challenges. Good friendships and connections, knowing how to process our feelings and a good safety net are key to good mental health.

In a business setting, supporting your employees mental health needs will result in staff with a better sense of well being and belonging, as well as increased productivity. They also won’t be blown over by the first crisis your company faces.

At Habitus we’re at the forefront of these mental health innovations. I want to start even more conversations about the fundamentals of mental health, which will improve this outlook further and enhance the health of workplaces and communities worldwide.

MA Sociology and Politics