The Self-Investigation is launching a new mental health training and coaching program for leaders at fact-checking organizations. Applications are due by February 8, 2024.
The Self-Investigation today announces the Mental Health Leadership for Fact-Checkers program, a rigorous, 6-month program of training and coaching for leaders of 14 fact-checking organizations. Participants can choose between two cohorts: one in English and one in Spanish.
Fact-checking professionals face a specific set of challenges around mental health, such as time-tight timelines, online harassment, vicarious trauma and strong work demands. Because of this, we believe that having the right tools and strategies to protect one’s mental health and better support their team’, is more important than ever.
This program is offered free of charge, made possible by a generous grant from the International Fact-Checking Network (IFCN), and aims to empower fact-checking leaders with the skills to cultivate a lasting culture of mental health awareness and action within their teams. In addition, leaders will receive individualised coaching and accompaniment in implementing change.
Toward the end of the program, participants will also receive a series of guides with recommendations and best practices in both languages to serve as an ongoing resource for their work and for the wider fact-checking community.
What participants will learn:
Through five group training sessions and 1:1 coaching, participants will learn key skills in the following areas:
- The basics of mental health and burnout prevention;
- Addressing vicarious trauma and online harassment in the newsroom;
- Creating a culture of psychological safety in the team;
- Developing digital boundaries in an always-on culture
- Sustaining a mental health toolkit and practices in your organization.
Participants can also expect:
- Practical skills and actionable frameworks designed for fact-checkers
- Coaches and trainers with media industry experience
- Group discussions for mutual learning and support
- Pairing with a coach for 1:1 support during the program
- Written resources and guides for implementing change
Trainings will occur online in two-hour sessions on March 5, April 2, June 4, September 3, and October 1. The expected time commitment is 15-20 hours over 6 months.
How to apply
Participants are encouraged to apply to the program here, consisting of a brief questionnaire. Eligible applicants need not have experience with mental health in the workplace. Participants will be selected based on the following criteria:
- Working at an organization that is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network
- In a leadership or managerial role (i.e., responsible for a team or organization)
- Openness to learning and growth around the topic of mental health
- Capacity and commitment to implementing mental health in the workplace
Applications are due by February 8 at 23:59 PT. Applicants can expect to hear back within 2-3 weeks of submission.
Do you have doubts about whether this program is right for you? Sign up for the informative session in English, where we will provide you with all the details and address your questions. The informational session will take place on Tuesday, January 30th, at 6:00h PT / 9:00h ET / 15:00h CET. To register, click here
For more information or to book a call with our team, please contact training@theselfinvestigation.com.
The team leading this program
AX (Ana Xiao) Mina – Program Manager
Besides being managing this program, AX Mina is part-time Program Director at The Self-Investigation. She is also a strategic consultant and leadership coach who’s supported news leaders and managers through programs with LION Publishers, The OpEd Project and the American Press Institute. She was a founding board member of the News Product Alliance and is a Senior Civic Media Fellow at the USC Annenberg School for Journalism and Communications. She is a certified trauma-informed yoga teacher and lifelong mindfulness practitioner. LinkedIn
Emma Thomasson – Training Manager (English)
Emma supports journalists and newsroom leaders to thrive in their professional and personal lives. She is an advocate for better workplace mental health and women’s leadership. She has coached senior leaders at Reuters in Europe, Asia and Latin America.
She worked for Reuters as a correspondent and bureau chief in Germany, Switzerland, the Netherlands, South Africa and the UK and ran a peer network at Reuters to support colleagues suffering from stress and trauma. She also set up a global mentoring programme to promote diversity.
She currently works as a leadership coach, trainer and consultant. LinkedIn
Natalia Martín Cantero – Training Manager (Spanish)
Natalia Martín Cantero is a journalist and university lecturer based in Brussels (Belgium). She has written extensively about mental health and wellness in Spanish-speaking media worldwide, including El País, Univision Noticias, and Agencia EFE, where she worked as a United States correspondent for seven years. Her book, ‘Think Well and You Will Get It Right: Compassion, Mindfulness, and Other Refuges for Maintaining Hope in Today’s World,’ was published in January 2024 by Plataforma Editorial. She is a Stanford Compassion Cultivation Training (CCT) instructor and a certified mindfulness and yoga instructor. LinkedIn
Kim Brice – Coaching Director
Kim co-founded The Self-Investigation. As Coaching Director, she supports the team of coaches to serve TSI’s clients in the best way possible and to professionalize and align around TSI’s core values.
As a coach, Kim supports journalists and changemakers to lead with greater resilience, purpose and personal excellence. She has coached journalists and support staff from dozens of media organizations around the world, including The Guardian, Volant Media, Zeit Online and through the European Journalism Center, the International Center for Journalists, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism and the World Association of Newspaper Publishers.
She has over two decades of experience working as an activist, then founder and organizational advisor to many media, journalism and social justice support programs around the world. LinkedIn
About The Self-Investigation
The Self-Investigation is a global nonprofit catalysing a healthy work culture in the media and communication industries by placing well-being and mental health as a core business strategy and value. Our vision is driven by our belief that to sustain quality journalism, we need mentally healthy journalists.
With consultancies, training, coaching and other awareness-raising support, we have reached over 10,000 journalists and 30 media organizations with our work since 2020. We empower individuals and partner with media companies to operationalize well-being and mental health into work routines, policies & guidelines.
