The practical guide for leaders and HR.
Published by Haufe in September 2026.
The book is currently available in German. Interested in an English edition? Send me an email.
I’m collecting expressions of interest and may publish one if there’s enough demand.
And yet, when faced with these situations, most leaders and HR professionals still rely on pop psychology. Not because they don’t care, but because no one has ever trained them to handle them. Organizations run fire drills and train first aiders for physical emergencies—but who has learned how to support someone in psychological distress? How do we strike the right balance between genuinely helping and overstepping boundaries? Between empathy and performance management?
This book closes that gap.
Someone on your team changes—they become quieter, more irritable, slower. Or someone breaks down during a meeting and opens up to you afterward. What do you do? What can you say? What do you need to document? And when are you crossing a line you shouldn’t cross?
In this book, I answer exactly these questions—with practical guidance that is legally sound and grounded in psychology. It isn’t a guide for people experiencing mental health issues themselves, nor is it an academic textbook. It’s a practical tool for anyone with responsibility for people.
You’ll learn the psychological fundamentals—how personality, stress, and mental health conditions actually work—what it takes to handle sensitive conversations effectively, and get cheat sheets for acute situations: approaching someone when you suspect something is wrong, having a return-to-work conversation after an absence, and navigating a crisis when you, as a leader, are the one struggling.
Throughout this practical guide, I examine each key topic from three perspectives: leaders, HR, and employees without management responsibilities. Ready-to-use language for difficult conversations, clear warnings about legal and ethical risks, and a comprehensive practical reference guide draw directly on my nearly 20 years of experience in therapy and corporate environments.
For you if you’re responsible for people and want to feel more confident in difficult situations—legally, professionally, and on a human level.
For you if you work in HR or workplace health management and need a reference guide that brings together professional expertise, communication skills, and process knowledge in a clear and accessible way.
For you if you don’t have management responsibilities but want to better understand and support your colleagues—and protect yourself as well.
The book requires no prior knowledge, but it treats you as someone who thinks for themselves. There are no simple answers to complex human situations. What it does offer is guidance for those difficult, unclear moments that happen in everyday working life.
I’m a licensed psychotherapist with training in depth psychology and a graduate degree in business psychology. And I’ve been a department head—at Zalando and Deutsche Telekom. I know both sides from years of practical experience.
What made me put all of this into a book: In my work as a coach and consultant, I see the same situation again and again. Leaders who genuinely want to lead well—but when mental health issues come up, they either freeze or become overly involved. They take on responsibility that isn’t theirs. Or they shut down because they’re afraid of doing something wrong.
Both reactions are human. And neither helps anyone—not the leader, not the person on the team, and not the organization.
There are many books about mental health in the workplace. Most are written for people affected by mental health issues or for workplace health management professionals. This book is written for the realities of everyday corporate life and for everyday use. It’s meant to be a well-thumbed companion, not something that gathers dust on a shelf.
Want to bring the book into your organization? I’ll come to you for a workshop.
From any retailer that sells books. For example:
Directly from me, with a personal inscription of your choice.
Just send me an email.
Need several copies for your team? Let me know, and we can also talk about a training session to go with them.