At the beginning of April, PLOS Mental Health held the first Lived Experience Focus Group meetings. The sessions were pivotal moments for…
Getting to know PLOS Mental Health: Occupational Mental Health
In our latest blog as part of the ‘Getting to know PLOS Mental Health‘ series, we speak to Enoch Li, who co-leads our ‘Occupational Mental Health’ Section alongside Dr Sarah Jones. Enoch, who is based in China, shares her expertise, interests and why she joined PLOS Mental Health…
Please tell us a little about yourself
[EL] I direct leadership development programmes and teach resilient leadership to company executives and MBA students at INSEAD, to sustain organizational transformation for social impact issues. I am also the Founder & CEO of Bearapy, a workplace mental health consulting and training company based in Beijing, covering Asia-Pacific. Bearapy helps organizations take a strategic view on employee wellbeing in addition to providing psychosocial education for executives. Much of this is focused on destigmatization and is mental health awareness driven, taking a lived experience perspective
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Enoch Li
[EL] I sit on the Board of United for Global Mental Health and other regional and global steering committees, to advise on global policies in workplace mental health and manager training to ensure they are relevant and effective. Part of my energy is spent on mobilizing Boards of Directors of for-profit companies to put issues as mental health, equity, and access on the forefront of the agenda.
What are your main areas of interest?
[EL] Organizational culture change, integrating splits in the human condition and in teams using a systems psychodynamic approach of study, the individual and group unconscious, and what it means to be “unwell” over a push to always needing to be “well”
Why did you agree to join PLOS Mental Health as a Section Editor?
[EL] It is rare to have a journal that focuses on mental health that is beyond psychiatry, medical, and a pathological approach. I see PLOS trying to amplify the current valuable research, to expand perspectives, and to augment the kind of conversations we are already having on the topic of Mental Health. The different sections and focuses are testament to innovation in the space. I saw this as an opportunity to be part of something pivotal in driving change, learn from a team of well-esteemed Editors each of whom bring their expertise and heart and soul, and a chance to contribute my experience through thought-leadership. Together, as a collective, we can go further.
… I saw this as an opportunity to be part of something pivotal in driving change, learn from a team of well-esteemed Editors each of whom bring their expertise and heart and soul, and a chance to contribute my experience through thought-leadership…
What kind of submissions would you like to see in the Occupational Mental Health section/what do you think are the most pressing questions of your field at the moment?
[EL]
- Practitioner experience of mental health in the Occupational health sector, covering a variety of workplaces.
- Alternative approaches than pathological or medical
- Qualitative research methdology, case studies, and narratives
- Some pressing questions are the intersectionality of other aspects of workplaces with mental health, e.g. bullying, harassment, equity and access, support systems
You can take a look at all of our publications here. Some of our Occupational Mental Health highlights include the list below. At PLOS Mental Health, we see a lot of studies on workplace mental health in healthcare settings but also welcome submissions that are based in other workplace settings.