Emmanuelle Gontier wears two hats: occupational psychologist and trainer. She has been part of the Pros-Consulte network since 2017. In this interview, she tells us more about her work as a trainer.
Could you tell us more about what being a trainer means to you?
I started working for Pros-Consulte in September 2017 and quickly wanted to get involved in training assignments. I first took a trainer training course delivered by Pros-Consulte. Then I took the plunge, with the unfailing and highly professional support of the training department. For me, knowledge transfer is essential in a prevention approach. When you are aware of the risks you face within a company, whether public or private, it is easier to anticipate and avoid damage, which is always detrimental to workers.
What types of training do you offer? Who is your target audience?
I am involved in several types of training, always related to QWL, quality of life and working conditions, such as:
- Raising awareness of psychosocial risks and supporting employees in distress
- Preventing psychosocial risks: what role should managers play?
- Acquireactive listening techniques to prevent psychosocial risks
- Stress and burnout: how to protect your teams?
- Preventing harassment: what role should managers play?
- Harassment: protecting yourself and others
- Introduction to Nonviolent Communication
- Prevention of psychosocial risks and crisis management...
The audience is diverse, ranging from managers to employees, including harassment advisors and union representatives. I also lead professional practice analysis groups that contribute to the development of technical skills through exchanges between professionals. Here too, it is a very interesting role for me to facilitate interactions and provide relevant and tailored content to participants.
You are also an occupational psychologist. What does this dual role bring you?
Yes, I am an occupational psychologist, and my clinical work with people suffering in the workplace allows me to enrich the training content with examples I encounter every day in my practice. In return, my practice is also enriched by the training days I lead, thanks to the high-quality interactions with the participants in the training groups. Furthermore, I cannot imagine doing my job wearing just one hat. I like to be able to work on an individual level and take a collective approach. What happens within a group is extremely instructive, and the dynamics that are created are always a source of learning. I also really enjoy discovering different workplaces and varied and highly instructive professional environments.
What motivates you in your job?
Once again, it's a two-way street in terms of developing everyone's skills, both the participants' and my own! I always learn a lot, and if I'm to believe the feedback from the evaluations of the training courses I run, so do the trainees! This step back allows trainees to become aware of many things, not only the legislative framework, but also their institution. Taking a step back is always very useful. It allows you to assess risky situations, whether individual or collective, and thus develop the ability to act.
In addition, in my practice, I often provide education, psychoeducation, or education on the state of the law regarding occupational health. And I realize that workers are very curious about these concepts. All of this is sinking in, enabling them to take care of themselves and others, regardless of their position in the company.
Is there a training experience that particularly stands out for you?
All the facilitation sessions are different and leave me with a sense of accomplishment. Some, where there is a lot of interaction and we even go a little further than the initially defined framework, are particularly memorable. They make me feel that the participants have fully embraced this resource space, and I come away even more delighted. Others are also very emotionally powerful because sometimes, certain trainees feel secure enough to express their experiences, which can sometimes be painful, on the topics discussed, which can increase the impact of the content conveyed.
