Sarah Hartwell, National Account Manager of Property Circle, hopes her frank disclosure of the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) she experienced following six failed attempts at IVF in addition to a miscarriage will help promote greater openness surrounding mental health issues.

Sarah chatted to MIMHC Co-founder and Group Sales Director at Crystal Specialist Finance, Jason Berry, for the organisation’s latest “Keeping the Mental Health Conversation Going” video. The forum provides a platform for industry leaders to share insights and strategies for promoting best practice mental wellbeing in the workplace.

Sarah explained: “Once you’ve had a mental health issue, in my case PTSD, it shapes who you become.

“I now realise that it’s essential to know your own limitations and ask for help if and when this becomes necessary – and that’s precisely what I now encourage anyone who’s struggling with their mental health to do without delay.

“Speaking personally, my PTSD occurred in 2014 after I’d experienced several failed attempts at IVF as well as a miscarriage.

“It was an incredibly difficult chapter in my life, but I was fortunate enough to work alongside some remarkable and understanding people who went out of their way to help me when I needed it.”

In MIMHC’s new video, Sarah cites a course of Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to have been a turning point in her recovery. EMDR is a recognised mental health treatment technique that can help with the processing and recovery from past traumatic experiences.

Subsequently, Sarah and her partner successfully adopted a much-loved little girl, and she now routinely prioritises her own self-care and works part-time to ensure she “remains strong” for her daughter.

In forthcoming videos, Jason will be chatting with key figures across the mortgage industry about how they keep the mental health conversation going in their businesses.

MIMHC was established to create a culture of openness and compassion within the mortgage industry by spreading a message of support and understanding while initiating meaningful discussions.

Jason Berry added: “Sarah is clear about the importance of frank conversations surrounding mental health.

“She is also calling upon mortgage companies’ management teams to be vigilant when it comes to colleagues’ mental wellbeing and have fully-trained mental health first-aiders on hand, whenever possible.

“Both of these principles are enshrined at the heart of MIMHC and I can’t thank Sarah enough for being brave enough to share her story.”

(MIMHC) is a not-for-profit organisation that was founded to raise awareness of employees’ mental health and how the industry can take positive action to improve it.

MIMHC is made up of 7 co-founding firms plus over 100 signatory companies across the mortgage industry that represent over 20,000 individuals. All these firms agree to be bound by MIMHC’s 6 Governing Rules which apply best practice health and wellbeing guidelines and are summarised as ‘The MIMHC Charter’.