Bringing in a keynote speaker to address mental health is a powerful investment in your team’s well-being. But the impact of the session depends not only on the speaker’s expertise. It also hinges on how well your team is prepared to engage. As a clinical psychologist and speaker in Los Angeles, CA, I’ve seen organizations maximize the benefits of these events when they take a few intentional steps beforehand. Here are five practical tips to help your team get the most out of a mental health keynote.
1. Set the Stage with Clear Communication
Explain the purpose: Let your team know why the session is happening and what you hope they’ll gain.
Normalize participation: Emphasize that mental health is a universal topic, not just for those in crisis.
Reduce uncertainty: Share details about the format, length, and expectations so employees feel comfortable.
2. Encourage an Open Mindset
Frame it as growth, not therapy: Mental health presentations for a workplace team are about learning strategies, not diagnosing problems.
Highlight relevance: Connect the topic to workplace challenges like stress, burnout, or resilience (subjects relevant to audience needs).
Invite curiosity: Encourage team members to listen for insights they can apply personally and professionally.
3. Create Psychological Safety
Model openness: Leaders can share their own experiences with stress or self-care to set the tone. In my experience speaking at organizations, when a leader shows humility and openness to new ideas and self-care, employees feel supported and engaged in the presentation.
Avoid judgment: There is still a lot of stigma around mental health in general, so it’s helpful to be thoughtful about reducing stigma, normalizing mental health conversations, and refraining from judgments or assumptions about how people may feel entering a mental health presentation or keynote.
Respect privacy: Make it clear that no one will be pressured to disclose personal struggles.
4. Prime Engagement Beforehand
Provide reflection prompts: Ask employees to consider questions like, “What helps me recharge?” or “What challenges my mental health at work?” I sometimes send out a survey to employees in a workplace speaking engagement ahead of time to get a sense of the questions and concerns among the group (anonymously, of course). This helps me tailor a presentation even more to the organization’s needs.
Share resources: Circulate articles or short videos related to the keynote topic.
Build anticipation: Position the event as an opportunity to learn practical tools, not just a lecture. Also, advertise early and often, and make the time for employees to attend by shifting meetings, pushing deadlines, or otherwise lightening their load to make space.
5. Follow Through After the Keynote
Debrief as a team: Hold a short discussion to capture takeaways and action steps.
Encourage application: Ask employees to try one strategy they learned from the speaking psychologist and share results later.
Sustain momentum: Integrate mental health practices into ongoing meetings, policies, or wellness initiatives.
Final Thoughts From a Mental Health Speaker in Los Angeles, CA
A mental health keynote can spark meaningful change, but preparation is key. By setting expectations, fostering openness, and following up afterward, you ensure that your team doesn’t just attend—they engage, reflect, and grow. With these five steps, you’ll create the conditions for a keynote that resonates long after the applause fades. This also helps your business or organization get the most for the investment in a mental health keynote speaker!
Bring Mental Health Conversations to Your Organization with a Psychologist and Speaker Who Truly Connects
When your team hears from a keynote speaker who understands mental health, they gain more than information. They gain tools, insight, and a renewed sense of connection. A well-chosen speaker can spark meaningful conversations that shift culture, deepen engagement, and support long-term well-being across your organization.
As a respected mental health keynote speaker, Dr. Stacy Reger offers presentations that blend clinical expertise with relatable storytelling. Her talks are designed to meet your team where they are—whether you're in healthcare, law, education, government, or any field where stress and burnout affect performance. Through her speaking and consultation services, she creates space for reflection, resiliency-building, and genuine learning, leaving audiences with actionable strategies they can apply immediately. Each event is thoughtfully crafted to fit the unique needs, challenges, and goals of your organization.
Take the next step toward a more engaged, supported team. Call (424) 262-1925 to schedule your keynote or workshop
Partner with an experienced mental health speaker in Los Angeles who brings both insight and approachability
Start creating conversations that strengthen resilience, connection, and workplace well-being.
Other Services Dr. Stacy Reger Offers in Los Angeles, CA
When a keynote speaker delivers mental health content with clarity and authenticity, teams walk away energized, informed, and ready to engage differently. Effective speaking doesn’t just share information—it creates momentum for change and equips audiences with tools they can use long after the event ends.
As both a psychologist and experienced mental health keynote speaker, Dr. Stacy Reger brings a depth of understanding that reaches well beyond the presentation itself. She creates environments where professionals, families, and community members can openly explore topics like resilience, well-being, and capacity while gaining practical strategies they can immediately apply. Her talks are crafted to break down stigma, strengthen connections, and provide concrete steps for improving mental health in everyday contexts.
Dr. Reger regularly presents on themes provided through her practice. These include medico-legal psychological evaluations, workers’ compensation assessments, neuropsychological testing and assessments, and presurgical evaluations. She draws on years of clinical expertise to translate complex concepts into accessible, relevant insights. Her extensive experience conducting evaluations, assessments, as well as individual psychotherapy and therapy for older adults, ensures her presentations remain grounded in real-world practice and informed by current science.
Beyond keynote engagements, she partners with organizations, attorneys, fiduciaries, and community groups through customized trainings, consultations, and educational workshops. To learn more about her perspective on mental health, leadership, and capacity-building, explore Dr. Reger’s blog for additional resources and insights.