Across the UK, professionals in all manner of roles face challenging and / or distressing situations. Roles from emergency services to teachers, social workers, and members of the Armed Forces for example are expected to show resilience, calm, and competence in moments of crisis. But behind the uniform or job title is a human being who may be carrying emotional strain, trauma, or burnout. But regardless of your profession, if your mental health and wellbeing is impacted by your work, you deserve the compassion and support you need.
Many people who work in emotionally demanding roles, especially those connected to loss or trauma, become very skilled at managing intense feelings in a calm and steady way. Even so, everyone has a limit to how much they can hold at one time. When life outside of work becomes heavier or more complicated, the emotional impact of the job can feel stronger than usual. This does not mean you are coping less effectively. It simply means your emotional load is fuller than it normally is. It is important to recognise these moments with kindness toward yourself and to be aware of how personal stress can amplify the weight of professional stress.
Making a sensitive disclosure about your mental health or personal struggles can feel daunting, yet doing so is a crucial step in protecting your wellbeing and maintaining your ability to care for others. UK guidance makes clear that organisations must balance confidentiality with safety, and that workers have the right to seek support without fear of judgement.
This article offers practical, guidance on how to approach disclosures, what your rights are, and where you may be able to turn for support.
A sensitive disclosure means speaking to an employer, manager, GP, professional body, or support service about something that affects your mental health, safety, or ability to work. This may include:
Under UK guidance, workplaces must treat such information confidentially and respectfully. Confidentiality is a core principle of health and social care and underpins trust between workers and organisations.
Your information should be treated with respect.
NHS confidentiality guidance emphasises that confidentiality is essential to maintaining trust and should not be breached without clear justification.
Professionals are accountable to their regulators for protecting confidentiality, and organisations must support this.
The ICO (Information Commissioner’s Office) notes that organisations can share information in emergencies, including mental health emergencies—when needed to prevent serious harm. They outline what employers must, should, and could do when responding to such situations and recommend planning ahead for how to manage mental health crises in the workplace.
The NHS Transformation Directorate stresses that in social care, the duty to share information for safe care is as important as the duty to protect confidentiality. Sharing should always be proportionate, relevant, and secure, and only with colleagues who have a legitimate relationship with the individual concerned.
Where adults are at risk of harm, professionals may be required to disclose relevant information, even without consent—if necessary to protect them. GMC (General Medical Council) guidance states that disclosures should be lawful, limited to what is necessary, and communicated to the individual where possible.
Similarly, BMA (British Medical Association) guidance highlights the ethical challenges when adults with capacity refuse disclosure, but notes that sharing may be lawful and necessary if there is public interest or risk of serious harm.
Depending on your workplace, this might be:
You don’t need to share every detail. Consider:
It is entirely appropriate to ask:
This helps you understand how your disclosure will be handled within legal and organisational requirements (e.g., safeguarding, health and safety).
ICO guidance highlights that mental health emergencies may be harder to identify, but organisations can share information without consent to prevent serious harm. If you feel you may be at risk of harm to yourself, tell someone immediately so they can act to support you.
For urgent mental health support, visit https://www.samaritans.org/ or call Samaritans on 116 123
For peace of mind, it may help you to keep your own notes, including:
Arrange check‑ins and ask for reasonable adjustments if needed. This is your right under UK employment law.
Make sure you are informed on next steps regarding what is being done with your disclosure & when you are going to be next updated on any actions etc- reduces rumination and worry post disclosure
If you have been affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a child or young adult aged 25 and under…
You can make a referral for yourself or others (with their consent) through our dedicated referral form for professionals or by calling our mainline or email- 01443 853125 or email [email protected]. We will ask for some brief information regarding the reason of your referral along with some contact details & we will always request verbal consent to proceed with any referral.
Once a referral has been made to 2Wish- a member of our team will make contact with you, we will always try to make contact using your preferred method of contact initially, from here we will try to arrange a suitable time to call. We do understand that as busy professionals your availability might be limited- so will do our best to work around your schedules. (We will always offer calls between the hours of 9-5). In our initial call we will introduce ourselves and will outline what the call will include, this is to reassure you regarding what to expect from the call. The call will include one of our team asking you more about the reasons for your referral request so that we can plan and provide the right type of support for you. In this call we will also ask you questions around your wellbeing so we can best refer you to one of our therapists.
Asking for help does not make you weak, it makes you well. Sensitive disclosures are not only allowed; they are protected within UK professional and legal frameworks designed to keep both workers and service users safe.
Whether you are holding the trauma of a difficult shift, carrying personal grief, or feeling worn down by the emotional intensity of your role, you deserve support…
…Because you can’t pour from an empty cup.
2wish Head Office
Unit 3, Sovereign Court
Sterling Drive
Llantrisant
Rhondda-Cynon-Taff
CF72 8YX
