Counselling support for Tradies

Working with a variety of hard-working men who’ve spent years pushing through pain, pressure, and long days on the tools, I’ve learned something important: underneath the dust, noise, and tough exteriors, there are a lot of blokes doing it tough and suffering in silence.

Whether you’re a chippy, sparkie, plumber or brickie, or whether you work in construction, mining or maintenance, the job takes a toll.

It’s physical, it’s relentless, and often, it’s thankless.

What doesn’t get spoken about enough is the mental weight that comes with it.

This post is based upon my work with Gemcell electrical group for their Mental Health Issue of Electrical Gems. Read the article here.

In my work as a counsellor who specialises in men’s health, I often see the same core struggles: stress, burnout, relationship breakdowns, and feeling stuck. However, they tend to show up differently with tradies than in other professions.

The physical toll of the job, the early starts, the long hours, and the pressure to push through no matter what; it all adds up in a unique way.

Unlike office-based roles where there might be more talk around mental health, or better access to support services, the trades culture still leans pretty heavily on “just get on with it.” That makes it harder for men in particular to say they’re not coping, even when they’re not sleeping, they’re drinking more than usual, or snapping at the people they care about.

There are a few under-the-radar triggers that don’t get talked about enough. One is seasonal instability and the threat of work drying up unexpectedly, especially if you’re subcontracting. That financial uncertainty creeps in quietly but carries a heavy load.

Another big one is identity and worth being tied to productivity. In the event of an injury or life event requiring time off work, it’s not just about lost income, it’s a hit to who the worker believes they are.

There’s also oftentimes an unspoken competition around who can work the hardest, the longest, or keep up the bravado, which leaves little space for honesty or vulnerability and can become both a physical and mental safety risk.

Industry subcultures can reinforce this. In some crews, if you show any emotion, it’s labelled weakness. That kind of environment can make guys in particular wear a mask every day which gets exhausting.

“She’ll be right, mate” might sound harmless, but it’s a cover. I have found that it’s often a way for men to say, “I don’t want to deal with this” or “I don’t know how to talk about what’s really going on.”

That kind of stoicism isn’t about strength; it’s often about fear. Fear of judgement, fear of losing respect, fear of seeming weak. The problem is, by the time someone reaches out, they’re often in crisis, which means a longer and often more complicated road to recovery.

What works best? Normalising ‘support-seeking’ as a sign of strength, not weakness. Sharing stories. Peer support. Role models in the industry who speak up. When I work with tradies, I keep it real: practical strategies, plain language, and no fluff. It’s about earning trust before digging deeper.

In my time deployed at Casey Station in Antarctica, I facilitated a men’s group for the tradies on station which was not only well supported, but helped to create a culture where guys looked out for each other in conditions where mistakes were even more critical due to the lack of medical support.

Running a small business in the trades means you’re not just the worker, you’re the bookkeeper, the scheduler, the marketing team, the HR department and the boss, which requires a huge mental load.

Cash flow issues, chasing invoices and irregular work – among other things – all contributes to chronic stress. Compounding these issues further is the fact that many tradies are sole traders or in small crews, so they carry all of that silently with limited – if any – support to lean on.

Support in these instances looks different. It might be learning better boundaries (like not quoting jobs at 9pm), building systems, or just having someone in their corner: a mentor, a therapist, or a mate who gets it. Business coaching with a mental health lens can be gold for guys in this space.

Work-life balance isn’t a luxury; it’s a protective factor. When work eats up all your time, there’s no room left for the stuff that fills your cup. Connection, exercise, hobbies and rest all fall by the wayside which often leads to significant consequences.

In trades, the grind culture makes it hard to pull back, but small changes matter. Putting the phone away after dinner, locking in one night a week for yourself or your family and/or taking a long weekend every now and then can go a long way to preserving wellbeing over the longer term.

Psychologically, it’s about shifting from survival mode to intentional living. This means scheduling downtime, setting limits with clients and remembering that you’re more than the work you do. You’re also a mate, a partner, a dad, a human.

Traditional therapy doesn’t suit everyone, especially if the idea of sitting on a couch and talking about feelings feels like foreign territory.

That’s why we need alternative spaces: walk-and-talk therapy, peer-based groups, gym-based mental health programs, trade-specific podcasts, text-based check-ins; things that meet tradies where they are. Which is why I love the work that Trademutt and This Is A Conversation Starter (TIACS) are doing.

Even something like a regular BBQ where workers can chat openly can be more powerful than a clinical setting. The key is making support feel familiar, not formal.

When the environment feels safe and relaxed, the real conversations come out.

Some of the first signs something’s off are subtle: sleep changes, withdrawing from mates, shorter fuse, relying on alcohol to unwind, or just that nagging feeling of being off but not knowing why.

For anyone noticing these in themselves, don’t ignore it. Talk to someone. Write it down. Book an appointment with your GP. If you see it in a mate, check in. Saying something like, “You haven’t seemed yourself lately. Everything alright?” can start a conversation that makes a big difference. Don’t try to fix it, just listen and direct them to in-person or phone and text counselling services like TIACS offer.

Mental health struggles don’t always look like falling apart. Sometimes it’s just a bloke slowly drifting away from himself. The earlier we catch that drift, the easier it is to steer things back.

If you’re struggling with your mental health and are looking for someone to talk to about it, call, text or email Sean to have a chat about how I might be able to help, or book in a free introductory call here.