In 2014, Cate Murden founded corporate wellness and mental health company PUSH. Noticing a surge in cases in the community during COVID-19, she offered a programme of free webinars, workshops and one-on-ones. She’s now helped around 10,000 people handle mental health difficulties free of charge.
PUSH in itself has also seen a dramatic rise in demand for its ‘bold solutions to human problems’ throughout the pandemic. To Murden, this is an encouraging signal that companies are starting to take mental health guarding seriously.
Over 20 major UK companies, including Rightmove, Urban Outfitters, Toyota and TikTok, have worked with PUSH to help their employees transition to and from remote working.
As restrictions lift and we adjust to ‘the new normal’, Murden is concerned about postponed trauma and warning of a forthcoming wave of grief. “It’s clear that we are in the midst of a mental health crisis – simply through dealing with ‘stuff’ that we’ve never dealt with before”, she says.