Right State Of Mind - Antoinette Patterson

Antoinette Patterson of Safe Space™ is a strong advocate of positive mental well-being in the workplace — as it very well should be

- Katherine Arteche

In a recent study conducted by the Action Community for Entrepreneurship (ACE) and digital mental health provider Safe Space™, it was found that 78 percent of startup business owners advocate the importance of mental well-being in the workplace, but only 12 percent of that number have initiated to have mental health advocates in place. The demand it takes for a startup business to kick off the ground running is a toiling one, especially since keeping pressure at bay is challenging while operating in a high-functioning team.

“Many expressed interest in seeking professional help, but reported that affordability and convenience were their top concerns,” says Safe Space™ founder and CEO Antoinette Patterson. “Such struggles include maintaining close relationships that have been difficult and frustrating for them, often as a result of becoming easily irritated as they get more stressed. Furthermore, nearly a quarter of respondents shared that they struggled with insomnia and establishing healthy sleep patterns.”

Patterson’s solution: To offer accessible mental health support for affected individuals. In fact, it was a personal experience that urged her to provide a platform that she recognized was lacking.

“Safe Space™ started from a personal need. I was an individual and an employee in the advertising industry and I was going through a burnout. After an extensive Google search and a few embarrassing recommendation requests, I was fortunate enough to find a therapist, albeit a really expensive one as that was the first person that agreed to see me.”