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LEADING THE CONVERSATION: MENTAL HEALTH LEADERSHIP IN CONSTRUCTION

Fri, 12 Jun 2026 15:20:14 GMT

Board member, Kabri Lehrman-Schmid, on the Construction Suicide Prevention Webinar.

Listen to the webinar here!

Workforce Wellbeing Starts with Connection:

Thu, 11 Jun 2026 11:00:05 GMT

Lessons from Portland’s Community Roundtable

by Kabri Lehrman-Schmid

In February, more than 70 professionals representing over 45 organizations gathered in Portland, Oregon, for a Community Roundtable on Workforce Wellbeing. Held in conjunction with the Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference, this pilot event intentionally brought together local organizations that directly serve the construction workforce - including labor, contractors, educators, community-based organizations, and health and recovery providers.

As a Board Member of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention, I had the opportunity to moderate the discussion. What made this roundtable different wasn’t just who was in the room – it was the deliberate focus on voices closest to the workforce experience . These weren’t abstract perspectives. They were real insights from organizations working with our workforce every day.

We also approached the conversation with a wider lens. Mental health doesn’t exist in isolation. Workforce wellbeing is shaped by the conditions people experience every day. And when those conditions break down, the impact doesn’t stop with the individual. It shows up in families, on crews, and across companies.

A few things became very clear.

Key Findings from Portland

1. Workforce wellbeing is fragmented – but deeply resourced at the local level
Organizations providing recovery services, culturally competent care, and workforce access programs are actively supporting construction workers but often without direct connection to employers or jobsites.

What this means:
We don’t necessarily need more programs. We need to better connect and make visible the ones already doing the work.

2. Entry into the industry is a critical moment for connection to support
Pre-apprenticeship and training organizations shared that many workers enter construction without awareness of available support - despite facing immediate challenges like housing, transportation, and financial stability.

What this means:
If we’re serious about workforce wellbeing, it has to start at entry (not after something goes wrong).

3. Jobsite culture determines whether resources are used
Contractors and workforce advocates were clear: even when services exist, workers won’t use them unless the jobsite environment supports it.

What this means:
Mental health outcomes are shaped every day by how we plan work, lead crews, and set expectations on our jobsites.

4. Community-based organizations are trusted – but under-integrated
Organizations serving LGBTQ+, immigrant, and culturally specific communities are often trusted sources of support yet are rarely connected to employers or project teams.

What this means:
If we want to reach the full workforce, we need stronger, more intentional partnerships with the organizations workers already trust.

5. Prevention requires alignment – not parallel efforts
Service providers and workforce organizations often operate alongside the construction industry - not in coordination with it - leading to missed connections and gaps in support.

What this means:
Improving workforce wellbeing requires alignment. The industry and the organizations serving our workers have to be working together, not next to each other.

Why This Matters

What we saw in Portland wasn’t a lack of resources. It was a lack of connection.

Improving workforce wellbeing means addressing not just mental health, but the conditions that shape it—and the people impacted when those conditions fail.

And that work is already happening. It’s just not always connected.

What Comes Next

This roundtable was just the beginning.

The next step is to strengthen these connections so that support is not just available, but accessible, trusted, and used.

In our next post, we’ll share how this conversation was designed and how other regions can build on this model.

BTEA NY National Construction Suicide Prevention Week Tool Box Talks

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:45:07 GMT

NY Building Trades Employer's Association Mental Health Video

This powerful video brings together labor leaders, contractors, and industry advocates to discuss the urgent connection between mental health, suicide prevention, and jobsite safety in construction. Through personal stories, practical insights, and real-world examples, speakers emphasize the need to reduce stigma, create cultures of care, and make mental wellness conversations as common and important as physical safety conversations on every jobsite.

Start the Conversation

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:31:38 GMT

This video from the Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) features CIASP board member Joe Xavier and other industry voices sharing candid perspectives on mental health and the importance of starting the conversation. Through personal insight and industry experience, the discussion highlights how mental health impacts workers, families, and jobsite safety, reinforcing the need for awareness, support, and a culture where people feel comfortable speaking up.

OSHA: Workplace Stress- Tools & Resources for Employers

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:15:25 GMT

OSHA’s Workplace Stress Employer Guidance offers practical tips and tools to help employers recognize, address, and reduce workplace stress. From fostering open conversations to building supportive workplace cultures, this resource reinforces the important connection between mental health, safety, and overall worker well-being.

Holiday Mindset Risks In Construction

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:11:35 GMT

Leading Through the Season's Hidden Pressures

How One Death Underscores the Suicide Risk for Construction Workers - New York Times

Fri, 29 May 2026 20:06:57 GMT

A powerful and deeply personal story from The New York Times that explores the suicide of construction worker TJ Kimball and the broader mental health and substance use crisis affecting the construction industry. Through interviews with family, coworkers, and industry leaders, this article highlights the pressures many workers face and the urgent need for continued conversation, support, and prevention efforts.

MOJO Worldwide: Beneath the Hard Hat with Sonya Bohmann

Fri, 29 May 2026 19:47:04 GMT

In this appearance, Sonya Bohmann continues to champion the mission of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP), bringing attention to the real mental health challenges facing construction workers and the responsibility the industry has to respond. Through thoughtful conversation and practical insight, she highlights the importance of reducing stigma, creating cultures of care, and recognizing that mental health is just as critical to jobsite safety as physical safety.

Sonya emphasizes that meaningful change happens when leaders, coworkers, and organizations are willing to start the conversation and support one another with compassion and action. Her message reinforces that suicide prevention is not the responsibility of one person or one company alone, but a shared commitment across the industry.

To hear the full conversation and learn more about the work being done to create safer, healthier construction workplaces, watch the full episode below.

Spill the Ink: Under the Hard Hat: Mental Health and Safety Culture in Construction

Fri, 29 May 2026 19:30:34 GMT

Executive Director Sonya Bohmann Joins Spill the Ink Podcast for a Special Episode

In this appearance, Sonya Bohmann shares the mission and growing impact of the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP), highlighting the urgent need to address mental health and suicide prevention within the construction industry. She speaks candidly about the cultural challenges that have historically made these conversations difficult and emphasizes the importance of creating workplaces where people feel supported, connected, and safe asking for help.

Throughout the discussion, Sonya brings both compassion and practical insight, reinforcing that mental health is a safety issue and that meaningful change begins with awareness, education, and action across every level of the industry.

To hear the full conversation and learn more about the work being done to create safer, healthier construction workplaces, listen to the episode below.

The Impact of Employment Laws on Construction Worker Suicide

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 20:00:47 GMT

How Policy Can Protect Lives on the Jobsite

As many of us have seen firsthand, the causes of suicide are many and complex . Research is showing that some characteristics present in the construction industry – like the fast pace, low margin for error, and high injury rates – can negatively impact workers’ mental wellbeing. There is a lot more, however, we need to learn about these potential root causes of mental health struggles and/or substance use, including how they can be balanced by protective factors in the workplace.

Several years ago, CPWR and NABTU put forward a Research and Action Agenda on construction worker mental health focused on addressing upstream, work-related root causes. The agenda also emphasized strengthening support systems and ensuring workers have access to key treatment and recovery resources. As part of this agenda, CPWR funded research to advance knowledge and action on suicide prevention and opioid overdoses.

One of the projects in this work was based at the University of Iowa and explored the impact of employment laws on construction worker suicide. Principal Investigator Dr. Jonathan Davis analyzed publicly available data on suicide rates and state “paid-leave” policies to understand how employment laws and community-level factors influence suicide rates among construction workers.

Using the National Violent Death Reporting system linked to external datasets, Dr. Davis and his team identified people of working age (16 to 64) who had died from suicide between 2013 to 2020. The study found that during this period, there were 127,872 suicide deaths, with 19,511 (15.26%) being individuals who worked in construction.

When employment laws were factored in, the study found that the presence of family and paid leave laws correlated to lower rates of suicide for construction workers. This was statistically significant for female construction workers, and was true for male construction workers, but the reduction was not statistically significant. Additionally, laws that restricted opioid prescribing resulted in statistically significant lower rates of suicide for male construction workers.

Dr. Davis and his team concluded that state-level polices pose a significant opportunity to reduce suicide risk for construction workers. They are now further developing this research and hope to investigate the role of construction work in mental health disparities.

Read the full report: https://www.cpwr.com/wp-content/uploads/SS2025-Employment_Law_Worker_Suicide.pdf

Key Findings from the Study:

Female construction workers had a lower rate of suicide when family and paid leave laws were in place. This was also true for male construction workers; however, the reduction was not statistically significant.
Male construction workers had lower rates of suicide when laws restricting opioid prescribing practice were present. Construction workers were more likely to have substance use contribute to their suicide compared to workers in other occupations.
Community-level factors may influence construction worker suicide. Construction workers who died by suicide disproportionately lived in areas with lower incomes and lacked access to recreation. Construction workers who died by suicide were also more likely to live in areas with high violent crime rates.

988 Learn The Facts

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:36:08 GMT

What is 988

A free confidential lifeline- providing judgement free care.

Basic Stats:

As of July 2025

Total Contracts to 988:

17, 785,050

Average time to answer: 33 seconds

Averal Call length:

13 minutes 47 seconds

How does it work:

Explain difference between geo routing and geolocation:

Geo routing: 988 does attempt to route callers to the nearest center to them in the network using their area code.

Geolocation- which is receiving a pinpoint location for dispatch during an emergency is not in use for 988 and not being considered to ensure the anonymity of the lifeline.

What to do:

Call- call the number 24/7 - reach a live counselor

Text- text 24/7 - you will complete a brief survey to get to the best help available

Chat- available 24/7- similar to the text interaction

What you can expect:

Calling:

Step 1- You will hear a recording that allows you to select language and or veterans option
Step 2- hold music while being connect to a live counselor
Step 3- You will get introduced to counselor and be asked if you are safe
Step 4- Once you confirm you are safe, your counselor will listen, provide support and resources.

Texting or Chatting:

Step 1- You are connected to the line and chose your language
Step 2 – You accept the terms of service
Step 3- You will receive a brief survey to best be able to understand your level of needed support
Step 4 you may be asked a few more questions
Step 5 – you are connected to our counselor and asked if you are safe
Step 6- your couselor listens provides support and resources

Who can use it:
Anyone in crisis

With someone in crisis

Worried about someone who may be in crisis

Anyone needing extra support

Worried about a substance use disorder

Success Rates:

98% of all contacts are able to get a commitment to safety.

However, when emergency services must be involved, over half of these emergency dispatches occur with the caller’s consent. Whenever possible the 988 counselors will recommend alternate options such as collaborating on a safety plan, utilizing mobile crisis teams, collaborating with the individual’s loved ones or professionals, or supporting the individual to get to a Crisis Stabilization Unit, emergency department, or urgent care.

988 operators must provide information to 911 operators to attempt to locate an individual, if they are unwilling to provide that information, if there is a belief that the person is in danger of seriously or fatally harming themselves or others.

How is it funded?

Combination between state and federal funding

Sources: FAQ: Does Vibrant use police intervention for callers, texters, and chatters to the 988 Lifeline? - 988 Lifeline

Lifeline Performance Metrics | SAMHSA

Safe Messaging

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:28:29 GMT

Lately, I have been seeing more and more conversations around Mental Health and Suicide Prevention. Which is great, unless it becomes unsafe. A few things that are important when posting, blogging, speaking, etc.

Language is not neutral—it can heal or harm, especially when discussing trauma.

I commend those who are willing to speak out either with their lived experience stories, or the stories of their loved ones’ struggle and/or suicide. When we have a story to share, especially one that is raw and painful, it is hard to balance wanting to unburden ourselves with protecting others' emotional space. There is power in our collective voice and in those stories. But that power must be harnessed and used with caution.

Sharing lived experiences can be transformative, but only when done with intention, care, and compassion. The idea that we can tell stories of pain and resilience without graphic detail is powerful. It invites empathy without risking re-traumatization.

Safe messaging is a critical component in communicating about suicide and suicide prevention. Avoiding specifics like method or location isn’t about censorship—it’s about compassion. Framing stories around hope, recovery, and connection can create space for others to feel seen and supported.

Visit CIASP Safe Messaging Guidelines for more tips and advice

“For Good”

That quote from Wicked—“Because I knew you, I have been changed for good”—is a beautiful reminder that our voices can be a force for healing. Using our voices “For Good” means being mindful of impact, not just intent.

Word of The Year

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 17:25:02 GMT

In 2025 CIASP embarked on a word of the year challenge.

As an organization our word of the year became: Wellness

You might be asking yourself- why would an organization choose a word of the year and ask their team to do the same?

Choosing a word of the year is not a new practice and certainly not one that we invented. It is often used to help center and guide an organization or person. Choosing a word of the year can be useful in helping define what you want, and your WHY.

The practice of choosing a word of the year is an exercise in mindfulness. There is reflection and focus that goes into choosing that one single word. This is different than a resolution, where you are focused on a task. The word of the year is a concept and ethos.

Some things that might come out of the process for you are, focus and clarity - It can give you a guiding principle and help clarify what really matters to you. Align with or help determine your core values.

It also allows for growth, flexibility, and adaptability. Resolutions can be rigid and limiting. A word of the year allows you to grow and develop while having a guiding ethos. 365 days is a long time; a single word of the year allows for adapting and changing circumstances. It provides a flexible framework upon which to set intentions yet shift if necessary.

Some words that resonated with us were: Calm, Gratitude, Intentionality, Grace, Rise, Acceptance, Efficiency, Anticipation, Balance, Discover, Appreciation, Relational

What will you choose?