1 min read

Season 6, Episode 89

Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas discusses mental health in construction

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Guest Name:


Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas

Guest Website:


Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas 

Guest Social Media:


Facebook

Twitter

LinkedIn

Supportive Documents:


Mental Health Safety Guide 

Emotional Ergonomics White Paper 

Emotional Ergonomics Webinar 

Continuing our Mental Health Awareness Month coverage, Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, clinical psychologist and mental health advocate, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss the importance of changing workplace culture, applying safety principles to mental health and a preview of 2026’s annual mental health summit.

Dr. Sally began by emphasizing the need for a cultural shift in addressing mental health within the construction industry. She discussed how the current narrative, focusing solely on individual treatment, is insufficient. Instead, she said, a comprehensive approach considering environmental factors and workplace culture could be more impactful. Dr. Sally drew parallels to physical safety improvements in construction, suggesting similar strategies could be applied to mental health.

Next, Dr. Sally discussed "emotional ergonomics," which she described as a way to design work environments that support emotional well-being. She explained how this approach, similar to physical ergonomics, aims to identify and mitigate psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Dr. Sally stressed the importance of addressing excessive pressure, lack of autonomy and toxic work environments to create a healthier mental landscape for workers.

Finally, Dr. Sally provided some updates on the Construction Working Minds Summit in 2026. Starting next year, the Summit will be known as the Construction Mental Health Summit. She discussed the collaboration efforts between herself and the United Suicide Survivors International to continue improving the summit. Dr. Sally discussed the Summit moving to Portland, Ore., and taking place from February 23 through 26 in 2026.

Listen to the full episode above to hear more about Dr. Sally's insights on mental health in construction.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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