SOFTWARE AND METHOD FOR MENTAL WELLNESS

A software application that is configured to facilitate a method operable to assist in the mental health of an individual whom has been subjected to workplace violence or harassment. The present invention includes a method that is configured to allow a user to anonymously join a user group of other individuals who have also endured similar experiences. The software application of the present invention provides assignment of a category of the experience in order to group individuals based on similar experiences. The user provides input of their experience in order to receive feedback from either a group of other users or a single user. The software application further provides assessment of a user state of the user wherein the user state is correlated to the user's ability to cope with the situation with which they have dealt with at their workplace.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a mental wellness software application and method, more specifically but not by way of limitation, a software application that facilitates a method of connecting individual's whom have been subjected to violence or harassment in the workplace wherein the method of the present invention includes but is not limited to sharing of experiences with others.

BACKGROUND

Workplace bullying is verbal, physical, social or psychological abuse by your or manager, co-worker or a group of people at work. Workplace bullying can happen in any type of workplace, from offices to shops, cafes, restaurants, workshops and community groups Workplace bullying can even happen to volunteers, students, interns, apprentices, in addition to permanent employees. Some types of workplace bullying are criminal acts and violate local laws that can be reported directly to the police. Workplace bullying is performed in a variety of manners and some examples are: repeated hurtful remarks; making fun of an individual or their work; sexual harassment, which can include unwelcome touching and sexually explicit comments; excluding an individual or stopping an individual from working with people or taking part in activities that relates to your work; playing mind games with a worker or other types of psychological harassment; intimidation which often makes a worker feel less important and undervalued; requiring an individual to perform impossible jobs that can't be completed in the given time or with the resources provided and deliberately changing an individual's work hours or schedule to make it difficult for the worker. These are just a few examples of workplace harassment and bullying. These behaviors can have a negative impact on an individual's ability to work as well their personal health. Some negative impacts are: be less active or successful; lower confidence in work; feelings of being scared, stressed, anxious or depressed; negative impact on life outside of work; a lack of trust in your employer or co-workers; a lack confidence and happiness about work or contribution to the organization and can further manifest into physical signs of stress like headaches, backaches, sleep problems.

Harassment at the workplace is a serious issue and affects millions of people every year. In order for harassment to occur one must understand what type of behavior is considered harassment and when is a law potentially violated. First, unlawful harassing conduct must be un-welcome and based on the victim's protected status. Second, the conduct must be: subjectively abusive to the person affected; and objectively severe and pervasive enough to create a work environment that a reasonable person would find hostile or abusive. Prohibited workplace harassment may take either of two forms. It may entail quid pro quo harassment, which occurs in cases in which employment decisions or treatment are based on submission to or rejection of unwelcome conduct, which can include but is not limited to conduct of a sexual nature. Workplace harassment may also consist of offensive conduct based on one or more of the protected groups identified by most local laws that is severe or pervasive wherein it creates a hostile or offensive work environment or when it results in an adverse employment decision.

Whether an instance or a pattern of harassing conduct is severe or pervasive is determined on a case-by-case basis, with consideration paid to the following factors: the frequency of the unwelcome discriminatory conduct; the severity of the conduct; whether the conduct was physically threatening or humiliating, or a mere offensive utterance; whether the conduct unreasonably interfered with work performance; the effect on the employee's psychological well-being; and whether the harasser was a superior within the organization. Each factor is considered, but none are required or dispositive. Hostile work environment cases are often difficult to recognize, because the particular facts of each situation determine whether offensive conduct has crossed the line from ordinary tribulations of the workplace, such as the sporadic use of abusive language and occasional teasing, to unlawful harassment. The impacts to individuals creates serious mental and physical health issues and many times these go untreated for various reasons.

It is intended within the scope of the present invention to provide a software application that facilitates a method of connecting individual's whom have been subjected to violence or harassment in the workplace.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to provide a software that is configured to facilitate connection of individuals whom have been subjected to workplace violence or harassment wherein the software application of the present invention is operable on a smart phone or other portable computing device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting individuals having a shared experience of workplace harassment wherein the present invention provides categorization of different types of workplace harassment.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a software that is configured to facilitate connection of individuals whom have been subjected to workplace violence or harassment wherein the method of the present invention groups individuals together based on category of workplace harassment.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting individuals having a shared experience of workplace harassment wherein the method of the present invention includes an ability for a user to input their experience.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide a software that is configured to facilitate connection of individuals whom have been subjected to workplace violence or harassment wherein the present invention further provides information on the legal rights for an individual exposed to workplace violence or harassment.

Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method for connecting individuals having a shared experience of workplace harassment wherein the software application further provides connection to mental health practitioners for individuals.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a software that is configured to facilitate connection of individuals whom have been subjected to workplace violence or harassment wherein the software application assigns a mental health status to a user and tracks progress through stages thereof.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the drawings submitted herewith, wherein various elements depicted therein are not necessarily drawn to scale and wherein through the views and FIGURES like elements are referenced with identical reference numerals, there is illustrated a method for mental wellness100constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

Referring in particular to the FIGURE submitted herewith, an outline of the method for mental wellness100is diagrammed therein. In step101, a user will download the software application of the present invention to a suitable computing device such as but not limited to a smart phone. Step103, the user will register within the software application to create a profile wherein the registration process captures demographic data and other pertinent data about the user. In step105, the software application will assign the user an anonymous name/user identification in order to protect the privacy of the user. It is also contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the user can create their own anonymous name/user identification. Step107, the user will input the details of the event that occurred at their workplace. It is contemplated within the scope of the present invention that the input of the details of the event of the user is facilitated by a question set having a combination of multiple choice answers as well as input of text from the user.

In step109, the software application will scan the inputted data from step107. Step111, the software application will provide to the user the suggested categories for which the categorize the inputted event. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that the categories could be divided into categories such as but not limited to defamation of character, workplace bullying and sexual harassment. In step113, the user will agree to the suggested category or select a desired category that is appropriately defines the type of event the user experienced. Step115, the software application will prompt the user if the user desires to be connected to a legal or mental health practitioner. In step117, if the user has selected to be connected to a legal or mental health practitioner the software application will transmit the contact information of the user to the appropriate legal and/or mental health practitioner. Step119, the software application prompts the user with a request to share the inputted event from step107. Step121, if the user agrees to share the event, the event of the user is published wherein the user identification of the user is associated therewith. The event is published in the category that was assigned thereto.

In step123, the user can then receive feedback and advice from other users that have been associated with the same category. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that the feedback could be provided in either a group format or in a one to one communication wherein all feedback is provided through the software application. In step125, the user receives the feedback from either a group or a single individual. Step127, the software application will assess the state of the user. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that the assessment of the user state relates to their mental stability and ability to cope with the event in which they have inputted into the software application. This assessment is executed with the software application and questions presented to the user. In step129, the user will have their user state recorded and stored into a database. Step131, the assigned user state is associated with the profile of the user. In step133, the software application will facilitate the conduction of subsequent interactions between the user and either groups or other individuals that have inputted data into the same category as the user. Step135, the software application of the present invention tracks and records the interactions of the user with the groups and/or individuals in which they have engaged therewith. In step137, the software application will provide a re-assessment of the user state through presentation of an additional questionnaire. The user will answer the questions provided thereto and the data will be analyzed by the software application of the present invention. Step139, based on the analyzed answers to the questions answered in step137, the user will be assigned a second user state wherein if applicable will be a different user state than the original user state assigned. It should be understood within the scope of the present invention that the software application provides a group of user states wherein the user states range from a low user state, meaning the individual is having a difficult time coping, to a high user state wherein the individual is demonstrating an ability to deal with the workplace event that they have experienced.