SMART Director of Education Chris Carlough recently talked with The Association of Union Constructors (TAUC) about SMART MAP (formerly the Member Assistance Program) and the critical personal issues it covers. TAUC is one of 20 such associations that have joined the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) to further promote resources and tools for their member companies to address mental health and suicide risk. This transcript has been lightly edited for space.
TAUC: Why is mental health & suicide prevention necessary with today's workforce?
Carlough: “As a union, we feel it is an absolute necessity that we support our members and their families as they struggle through serious life threatening challenges.
“Our membership fits the key demographic of those who take their own lives by suicide and struggle with substance use disorder.
“We are committed to developing a caring network of compassionate union members, along with mental health experts, to help in improving our members’ quality of life.
TAUC: What advice do you have for other unions?
Carlough: “A union’s core mission is to represent its membership to its highest ability. By developing peer networks in areas surrounding mental health, we are at the core of that mission: to support our members and their families when they are in the midst of some of life’s hardest struggles—and to show them that they matter to us and we care enough to walk with and support them through these difficulties.
“Unions used to play this role in members’ lives many, many years ago, at [the labor movement’s] beginning. Going back to our roots will make our union movement healthier and stronger.
TAUC: What makes Peer-to-Peer networking so effective?
Carlough: “Our SMART MAP Volunteers (peers) are union members [of] high credibility within their local unions, with strong interpersonal and attentive listening skills, who have time and a natural desire to help others.
“These Volunteers support our members [who are] returning to work from treatment, and they assist with coordinating the member’s continuing care plan. Once our members complete that initial treatment, their re-integration back into their home and work life can present some steep obstacles.
“The therapeutic value of one union member understanding and helping another union member is without parallel. This support is often the difference between relapsing and developing a successful and happy lifestyle in active recovery.
TAUC: How are you seeing fellow Union Brothers & Sisters helping one another?
Carlough: “Even though we feel we are just beginning in this initiative, we are already seeing our local SMART MAP volunteers change lives by supporting our members in this way.
“Our vision for the future is to provide our members and their families the mental health support and services they need to improve their quality of lives. We are extremely excited to see where this program leads us and how we can change our members’ lives for the better.”
