NZ to Utopia
Social Safety Nets /draft

Mental Health

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This section needs contributors. Edit this page to help build it out.

Context

Job loss and economic uncertainty have well-documented mental health impacts. Large-scale workforce disruption could strain New Zealand's already stretched mental health services. Proactive support is essential.

Key areas to explore

  • Psychological impact of displacement — Evidence on mental health effects of job loss and career disruption
  • Identity and purpose — When work changes fundamentally, how do people find meaning?
  • AI in mental health — Chatbot therapy, AI-assisted counselling, and their limitations
  • Prevention — Designing transition programmes that protect mental health
  • Community resilience — Strengthening community bonds as a buffer against disruption
  • Youth mental health — AI's impact on young people entering an uncertain workforce

Questions for contributors

  1. What mental health support should accompany every workforce transition programme?
  2. How can AI tools safely supplement (not replace) human mental health support?
  3. What community-level interventions build resilience during economic change?
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