conversations With
vivienne o’keeffe
is a spa consultant and
co-author of “Mental
Wellness: Pathways,
Evidence and
Horizons,” a
whitepaper recently
released by the Mental
Wellness Initiative of the
Global Wellness Institute.
The whitepaper aims to
increase awareness
of the latest research
around mental health
and share how the spa
industry might better
promote the mental
wellness of its
professionals. Pulse sat
down with Vivienne this
month to discuss the
whitepaper and the
importance of mental
wellness in spa.
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PULSE
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MAY 2019
vivienne o’keeffe
Pulse: What is the
Mental Wellness
Initiative (MWI), and
how did you get
involved?
vivenne o’Keeffe:
The mental Wellness
initiative was created to
better understand
mental wellness, help
people stay well and thrive
mentally and physically. and
it’s all about mental wellness,
not about mental illness. We’re
all about self-prevention, self-
direction and the continued
development of the mind and
spirit. i got involved in 2016, when i
was attending the Global Wellness
Summit in Kitzbuhel, austria. i
participated in a discussion there on
mental wellness, and from that
discussion the mental Wellness
initiative was established. The first
goal was to release the whitepaper.
now, we’re developing a series of
protocols on how to promote mental
health in different contexts. i was
attracted to the topic like a magnet
because, in my work developing spas for people, i train a lot of
young people and i know the mental challenges they face.
“It's all about mental wellness,
not about mental illness. We're all
about self-prevention, self-direction
and the continued development
of the mind and spirit.”