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The university’s Counting on U program equips finance professionals with the skill to identify clients who need help with mental wellbeing.
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Deakin trains accountants in ‘first aid’ for clients on the brink
10 March 2023
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Accountants and other finance professionals are being trained with skills to better support the mental as well as the financial wellbeing of their small business clients through the Counting on U (CoU) program.
CoU co-founder and Deakin Business School professor of accounting George Tanewski said a successful pilot program with over 3,000 participants during 2021–22 paved the way for its expansion.
“We have also adapted the program for the post-pandemic business environment in response to current issues like the economic downturn, supply chain disruptions, cost of living concerns and inflation,” said Professor Tanewski.
“We know small business owners in particular are feeling the heat financially and it’s affecting their mental health, but across the board, enhancing workforce mental health and wellbeing is one of the biggest trends for businesses in 2023.”
Similar to physical first aid, Deakin University said the training program taught participants how to become mental health first-responders by recognising someone in distress and assisting until professional help was available.
CoU’s other co-founder, Deakin Business School professor of management Andrew Noblet, said accountants built strong relationships with clients, so were well placed to help if they ran up against mental health problems.
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“But many can still feel uneasy about raising concerns for fear of saying the wrong things, and some finance professionals also argue that mental health conversations are not part of their roles,” said professor Noblet.
“Programs like Counting on U are not about training participants to become counsellors; it is about knowing how to support an emotionally distressed person and when to encourage them to seek professional support.”
“When business advisers are equipped with the appropriate knowledge and skills, they do not only feel more confident about having difficult conversations with clients experiencing financial and emotional distress – issues that we know go hand in hand – but it also provides the opportunity to form stronger, more trusting and longer-term client relationships.”
The university said 62 per cent of those involved in the pilot program reported improvements in their relationship with clients one month after the training.
Deakin Business School partnered with IPA to develop the program and CEO Andrew Conway was pleased an idea first raised at the World Congress of Accountants in 2018 had come to fruition.
“I am proud of the work the accounting profession has done in partnership with Deakin University and Mental Health First Aid Australia to provide such a practical, life-changing program to thousands of professions,” said Mr Conway.
“The program can help you find the missing link in the accountant-client relationship and I hope that other people can learn from it too.”
“It grows your awareness, builds your courage, and helps you support your community on the path to health and wellbeing.”
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