TAL academy hosts wellbeing support panel

Yasmine Raso

Senior Journalist, Financial Newswire

14 October 2022

Australian life insurer, TAL, announced it will host a panel session through its Risk Academy to help financial advisers better understand how to support grieving clients and focus on mental wellbeing.

The session, titled Supporting Grieving Clients – A Conversation with Experts, will be held later in October and fronted by TAL’s Head of Mental Health, Glenn Baird; Corgenius chief executive, Amy Florian; Valion Health Clinical Pyschologist, Rebecca Van Lloy; and Clinical Director at Feel The Magic, Lucy Archinal-Hudson.

The panel aims to assist advisers in understanding the fundamentals of grief and how it can impact individuals and will also provide conversational strategies and techniques to help support clients through the process.

“It can be difficult to have conversations around sensitive topics but there are certain skills and tools which can assist,” Baird said.

“TAL is committed to helping advisers feel confident in their important role of supporting grieving clients. The panel will explore key techniques to help advisers support their clients’ mental wellbeing while effectively helping with their claim.

“Providing emotional support to clients can take a toll on advisers which is why we want to encourage advisers to engage with the training and support being offered through TAL Risk Academy.”

The panel comes after a report conducted by TAL, The Value of Financial Advisers at Claim Time, revealed 43 per cent of advisers are sometimes uncertain when it comes to supporting bereaved clients and 42 per cent worry about upsetting clients who are making life insurance claims.

“When engaging in conversations with clients experiencing grief, it’s important for advisers to consider how to demonstrate empathy, facilitate extraordinary communication, and foster more than transactional relationships,” Florian said.

“Prioritising mental health is very important. We hope by providing advisers with access to this best practice mental health discussion, we can deliver confidence in maintaining considered lines of communication with their clients to support their overall wellbeing.”

The new session builds on those already available through TAL’s Risk Academy educational tools on mental wellbeing, especially the Supporting Clients at Claim Time and Mental Wellbeing – Thriving in the Financial Advice Industry session.