Exploring the Mental Wellbeing of Political Leaders
The state of politicians' mental wellbeing
and why it matters.
Our report on the state of politicians' mental wellbeing and how to support it.
Our list spotlighting organizations that support politicians’ mental wellbeing.
What influences are affecting your mental wellbeing?
How individual, institutional and cultural influences
impact politicians' ability to do the job.
Mental wellbeing offerings
Click on any program for more information
Introduction to Safety in Office
Half-day workshop
This interactive and supportive workshop is designed for parliamentarians, political party representatives and legislators who are looking to better understand the impact of political office on their mental wellbeing and their ability to serve citizens. Participants will come away with practical tools and approaches, and new connections with peers to help make their challenging roles sustainable.
What the workshop includes:
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Hear from experts on mental wellbeing, online safety, political leadership skills and the realities of the local political context;
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All materials, including frameworks and resources for use after the workshop; and
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Connection and learning with peers working through similar challenges.
Safety in Office:
21st-Century
Mental Wellbeing Skills for
Political Leaders
6-week program
This program is a comprehensive training designed to equip aspiring and current political leaders with essential skills, mindsets and resources that can support their performance and wellbeing.
What the program includes:
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Live, interactive sessions as well as self-paced learning modules and resources (totaling 12 hours of learning delivered over 6 weeks);
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Master classes with inspirational speakers, including senior current and former elected officials;
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Practical skills for online safety, values-based leadership and engaging constructively with citizens;
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Connection and learning with peers working through similar challenges; and
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Access to an online community hosted by Apolitical.co.
Safety in Office for Trainers
Six-week ToT/TTT program
This program is a comprehensive training designed to equip leaders such as political staff, political party representatives and politicians with the skills, knowledge and resources needed to effectively deliver the intro and full Safety in Office programs. By undertaking this, participants can ensure impactful and sustainable support for the mental wellbeing of political leaders across their organizations.
What the program includes:
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Everything included in the Safety in Office program;
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Live, interactive sessions as well as self-paced learning modules and resources (totalling 12 hours of learning delivered over 6 weeks);
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Comprehensive train-the-trainer learning, resources and material;
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Guidance on adapting content to local contexts and specific needs.
"It’s only when we are able to really break down some of the isolation that I think a lot of elected officials experience, can political leaders begin to function at their peak."
Charishma Kaliyanda,
Member for Liverpool,
Government of New South Wales
Why we care about politicians’ mental wellbeing
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To address 21st century policy issues like the climate crisis, growing polarization and inequality, we need politicians performing at their best - their decisions affect us all.
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Being a politician is a difficult job. Threats and abuse are on the rise. We will not get the effective and representative politicians we need to run for and stay in office if we don’t address this.
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There is significant fear and stigma around discussing mental wellbeing in politics and among politicians. The topic is under-researched and there is a lack of support resources.
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Politicians are people! They deserve good mental wellbeing.
“Your work is groundbreaking and deeply needed. As a citizen, former elected and human who cares deeply about healing our politics, I am honored to live in a world where your work and collective efforts are getting more consideration.”
Skippy Mesirow,
Founder, Elected Leaders Collective
Contribute to our research!
Are you a current or former elected leader? You can contribute our first-of-its-kind research in just 15-20 minutes by taking our anonymous survey.
We finished our initial data collection ahead of the November 2023 report launch but will keep the survey open to continue building the evidence base on this topic.
Advisory Council
Amishi Jha
Professor of Psychology
University of Miami
James Weinberg
Lecturer in Political Behavior
University of Sheffield
Winnie Odinga
Member of Parliament
East African Legislative Assembly, Government of Kenya
Ashley Weinberg
Senior Lecturer in Psychology
University of Salford
Kelly Dittmar
Associate Professor of Political Science
Rutgers University - Camden
Christina Haswood
State Legislator
Kansas House of Representatives, D-10
Rey Padit
Regional Program Manager
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
Courtnee Melton-Fant
Assistant Professor in the Division of Health Systems Management and Policy
University of Memphis School of Public Health
Victoria Ann Hasson
Parliamentary and Democracy Expert, Founder
The Silent MP
This project is supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Global Ideas Fund at CAF America. The views expressed here do not necessarily reflect the views of CAF America or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
