United by a common passion to support the mental health and wellbeing of seafarers and those working ashore in the maritime industries, a network of accredited and clinically experienced psychological practitioners has come together to form the Maritime Mental Health Professionals Community of Practice

As a group we welcome growing awareness of mental health in the industry, as evidenced by recent studies, surveys, articles, and discussions at industry events. The Covid-19 pandemic crystallised the relevance of mental health through its immense and unique impact on seafaring and seafarers.

We are pleased that there is a growing focus on bringing mental health standards to parity with physical health in the shipping sector, a safety conscious industry in which due diligence around fitness to work is valued and taken seriously through commissioning of services and employment of suitably skilled and qualified staff with regular inspections and audits to ensure safe and efficient operations. Our goal is to inform similar safeguards around mental health.

Alongside the impact on individuals, operators in the maritime sector now recognise that poor crew wellbeing can affect safety and operational effectiveness, putting commercial interests at risk across the supply chain. Responsible operators and managers increasingly realise that investment in crew wellbeing can have equally significant and important positive impact on crew retention, safety, efficient and effective operations. Consequently, we have seen an increasing appetite for approaches to mental health promotion, protection, and response mechanisms.

This has led to a rapid expansion and diversity of mental health guidelines, advice, training, and services becoming available. Well-intentioned guidance, strategies or interventions that are not supported by clinical research or expertise may fail to help but could make things worse. The provider and the company may become liable.

As Maritime Mental Health professionals our personal and professional knowledge and experience on land and at sea enable us to recognise and predict potential risks and harms in approaches to mental health and recommend best practice.

Shipping leaders shouldn’t feel they have to be experts in mental health themselves, but it is vital that the industry knows when and how to reach out for appropriately qualified, accredited clinical practitioners when deciding upon and devising ways of supporting the wellbeing of seafarers and shoreside staff.

That’s why we are delighted to launch our MMHP Community of Practice on this World Mental Health Day 2022 and are proud to support the aim to ‘Make mental health and wellbeing for all a global priority’.

The Maritime Mental Health Professionals community of practice are united to support the industry as it develops effective approaches to the unique challenges of the maritime industry. All members of MMHPCoP are accredited mental health professionals. This ensures that each of us has undertaken comprehensive study in our field to reach the standards of qualifications required by our national professional bodies. As registered and regulated professionals, we are required to uphold our code of ethics, maintain our standards of practice through continuing professional development, practise
within our sphere of expertise and maintain legal liability insurance protections.

As a network of accredited mental health professionals working in maritime, we seek:
• To promote the use of evidence-based practice for mental health and wellbeing in the industry
• To collaborate with industry and industry stakeholders to develop policy and strategy, encouraging learning from experience – to establish practice-based evidence – to promote mental health and wellbeing, prevent mental health problems and respond effectively when needed.
• To advocate for best practice and support stakeholders to set the bar for standards in mental health across the industry

Together we can make mental health and wellbeing a global priority for all on land and at sea.

If you would like to find out more or join us as a mental health professional, connect with us on LinkedIn @Maritime Mental Health Professionals Community of Practice.