Meet the Course Author for our new Short Course in Yachting & Mental Health
MTA is happy to introduce Yachting & Mental Health, our latest short course is designed to shine a light on mental wellbeing within the yachting industry. Written by Dr Genevieve Marais.
Dr Genevieve Marais is a Counselling Psychologist and Integrative Psychotherapist who has worked in the field of psychology since 2007 and in private practice since 2012. She offers online, one-to-one therapy for young people and adults, drawing on an integrative framework that combines a range of evidence-based psychological perspectives with individually tailored treatment approaches.
Her work incorporates transpersonal psychology, energy psychotherapy, and sound therapy to support mind–body–soul integration. Through this holistic approach, Dr Marais helps clients cultivate a grounded “felt sense” experience of self, enhancing self-awareness, emotional regulation, resilience, and embodied presence. Clients often report becoming more attuned to their needs, leading to greater self-confidence and more harmonious personal and professional relationships.
In conversation with Dr Genevieve Marais
Tell us about your background and how you became involved in the yachting industry and mental health and what inspired you to create a course specifically focused on mental health in the yachting industry?
”I am a Counselling Psychologist and Integrative Psychotherapist with a Doctorate in Counselling Psychology and Psychotherapy, and I have worked for many years supporting individuals with their emotional wellbeing, resilience, relationships and mental health. My approach is integrative, and my psychological framework draws upon developmental and relational perspectives, alongside a range of therapeutic and wellbeing practices. My involvement in the yachting industry developed from an interest in understanding the particular psychological demands of working at sea and living within the highly unique environment of a superyacht. I was fortunate to be invited to attend the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2025, where I had the opportunity to speak with people working within the industry and hear first-hand about some of the pressures faced by crew.
Those conversations highlighted to me just how significant the levels of stress, isolation, pressure and emotional demands can be for crew members. Long working hours, living and working in close quarters, being away from family and support networks, demanding guest expectations and the pressure to maintain professionalism can all have an impact on mental wellbeing. I became increasingly interested in how psychological support could be made more accessible and relevant to the realities of life onboard. This led me to combine my professional experience in mental health with a deeper understanding of the yachting environment and ultimately to develop mental health education and support specifically for superyacht crew. My aim is to help create greater awareness around mental health within the industry, reduce stigma, and give crew practical tools and knowledge to recognise difficulties early, build emotional resilience and know when and how to seek appropriate support.”
What are some of the biggest mental health challenges faced by yacht crew and why can working and living onboard a yacht be particularly challenging for mental wellbeing?
”I think one of the biggest mental health challenges faced by yacht crew is the sheer intensity of the environment they are working and living in. Yachting can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also be psychologically demanding because your workplace is also your home, and there can be very little opportunity to truly switch off. Stress and burnout are significant concerns, particularly with long working hours, demanding schedules, high expectations and the pressure to perform consistently at a very high level. Crew can also experience sleep deprivation, which can have a profound impact on emotional regulation, concentration and overall mental wellbeing. Another major issue is isolation. Crew may be physically surrounded by people all the time, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they feel emotionally connected or supported. They can be away from family, partners and their usual support networks for long periods, and relationships onboard can sometimes be complicated by the fact that you have to continue living and working alongside the same people. There can also be a lot of pressure to appear strong and capable. In an industry where professionalism and performance are highly valued, crew may feel that admitting they are struggling could be perceived as weakness or could potentially affect their career. This can create a culture where people suppress what they are experiencing rather than asking for help.
I also think we need to recognise the impact of constant change and uncertainty. Crew can move between yachts, countries, teams and contracts, and they may have to adapt very quickly to different personalities, expectations and working environments. From a psychological perspective, when you combine prolonged stress, lack of sleep, isolation, high expectations and limited opportunity to recover, it can significantly affect someone’s emotional resilience. Anxiety, low mood, irritability, exhaustion, relationship difficulties and feelings of loneliness can all emerge. For me, the important thing is that we don’t just wait until someone reaches crisis point. Mental health needs to become part of the culture of yachting, with greater awareness, early intervention and an environment where crew feel that it’s okay to say, “I’m struggling,” as well as know where to go for support.”
What are some of the early signs that someone may be struggling with their mental health while onboard?
”One of the things I think is really important is recognising that mental health difficulties don’t always look obvious. Someone doesn’t necessarily have to be visibly distressed or having a crisis before we recognise that they may be struggling. Often, it’s a change from that person’s usual behaviour. They may become more withdrawn, unusually quiet or irritable, or they may start avoiding social interaction with the rest of the crew. Someone who is normally engaged and sociable may suddenly spend much more time alone. Changes in sleep, appetite, energy and concentration can also be early indicators. You might notice someone becoming exhausted, making unusual mistakes, struggling to focus or seeming constantly overwhelmed. Sometimes people become much more emotional or reactive than usual, while others may appear completely detached or shut down. Another sign can be a change in performance.
Someone who is normally very capable and conscientious may start struggling to keep up, losing motivation or becoming increasingly anxious about making mistakes. They may also become perfectionistic or put themselves under enormous pressure because they’re trying to compensate for how overwhelmed they’re feeling. I would also pay attention to increased reliance on alcohol or other substances, risk-taking behaviour, or using other behaviours to escape or numb difficult emotions. From a psychological perspective, I would encourage crew to look for patterns and changes rather than isolated incidents. Everyone has a bad day, particularly in such a demanding environment. It’s when you start noticing that someone isn’t quite themselves over a period of time that it’s worth checking in. And sometimes the simplest intervention can be the most important one: asking someone, genuinely and without judgement, “Are you okay? I’ve noticed you don’t seem quite yourself lately.” That conversation can be incredibly powerful. We don’t always need to have the answer or try to fix someone. Sometimes creating a safe space where a person feels seen, heard and able to talk is the first step towards getting the support they need.”
What inspired you to develop the Yachting & Mental Health course, and why do you think it’s needed in the industry?
”What inspired me to develop the Yachting & Mental Health course was recognising that, although mental health is increasingly being talked about within the yachting industry, there is still a real need for education that understands the specific realities of life onboard. When I attended the Monaco Yacht Show in September 2025 and began speaking with people within the industry, I was struck by how many of the conversations came back to stress, pressure, exhaustion, isolation and the emotional demands experienced by crew. I could see that many of these challenges were not simply general workplace stresses. They were being intensified by the unique environment of yachting, where your workplace is also your home and where there can be very little opportunity to properly switch off or step away.
That really motivated me to ask: how can we bring psychological knowledge into the industry in a way that is practical, accessible and genuinely relevant to crew? The course developed from that question. I wanted to create something that goes beyond simply telling people to “look after their mental health”. It is about helping crew understand what stress does to the mind and body, recognise the early warning signs when themselves or a colleague may be struggling, understand the impact of sleep deprivation, isolation and prolonged pressure, and develop practical strategies for maintaining emotional wellbeing and resilience. I think it is needed because prevention is so important. We shouldn’t have to wait until somebody reaches burnout, has a mental health crisis or feels that they can no longer cope before we start talking about mental health.
There is also still stigma around asking for help. In an environment where people are expected to be professional, capable and resilient, crew can sometimes feel that admitting they’re struggling is a weakness. Education can help change that culture by normalising conversations about mental health and making it easier for people to recognise when support is needed. Ultimately, my aim with the course is to help create a healthier yachting culture—one where looking after your mental health is seen as an essential part of being able to perform well, have sustainable careers and, importantly, enjoy life both onboard and beyond the yacht.”
What are some of the key topics covered in the course that you believe will be most valuable to students?
”One of the things I believe that will be most valuable to students is that the course is very practical. I don’t want people simply to understand mental health intellectually — I want them to leave with tools they can actually use in their everyday lives onboard. In this course we explore emotional regulation and how to recognise what is happening within us before we become overwhelmed. One of the emotional regulation tools I mention is the psychoeducational tool referred to as the ‘Traffic Light System’ (Gross, 1998), which helps people identify their feelings and how to work with them in order to arrive at a healthy resolution. We also look at practical techniques to help harmonise and regulate the nervous system, particularly during periods of stress, conflict, exhaustion or emotional overwhelm. This includes building greater mind-body awareness, so that crew become more aware of how stress and emotions show up physically and can learn to respond to those signals rather than simply pushing through them.
Another practical tool I make reference to is Emotional Freedom Technique (Church et al 2022), which can be particularly useful as a simple self-regulation technique that people can use independently, including when they are onboard. I also draw on some of the work of Brené Brown (2021), particularly around vulnerability, courage, shame, connection and the importance of being able to have honest conversations about how we are really doing. I exemplify this through the Active Listening technique (Rogers & Farson, 1957). I think these ideas are particularly relevant to yachting, where there can sometimes be a culture of having to appear strong, capable and in control. Ultimately, the course brings together psychological understanding with practical techniques for emotional regulation, nervous-system awareness, self-care and resilience. My hope is that students don’t just learn about mental health — they develop a much greater understanding of themselves and have a toolkit they can take with them throughout their yachting career and beyond.”
Brown, B. (2021). Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connection and the Language of Human Experience. Random House.
Church, D., Stapleton, P., Vasudevan, A., & O’Keefe, T. (2022). Clinical EFT as an evidence-based practice for the treatment of psychological and physiological conditions: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology
Gross, J. J. (1998). The emerging field of emotion regulation: An integrative review. Review of General Psychology, 2(3), 271–299.
Rogers, C. R., & Farson, R. E. (1957). Active Listening. Chicago: Industrial Relations Center, University of Chicago
What do you hope students will take away from the course?
”What I hope students take away from this course is a greater understanding of mental health, not only in terms of recognising when something may be wrong, but also in learning how to proactively look after their own wellbeing while working in such a demanding environment. I want students to understand that struggling with stress, anxiety, loneliness, exhaustion or low mood does not mean that there is something wrong with them. The yachting environment can place enormous psychological and emotional demands on crew, and recognising these pressures is an important part of taking care of yourself. I also hope students leave the course with practical tools that they can actually use onboard — ways of managing stress, regulating emotions, setting healthy boundaries, communicating more effectively, recognising early warning signs in themselves and others, and knowing when and how to seek support.
Most importantly, I want to help create a culture where mental health is spoken about openly and without shame. Crew should feel that asking for help is a sign of strength and self-awareness, rather than weakness. On a personal level, I hope the course reminds students that behind every role, rank and uniform is a human being. Their psychological wellbeing matters just as much as their physical safety and professional performance. If students finish the course feeling more informed, more self-aware, more confident in looking after themselves and more willing to support their fellow crew, then I feel the course has achieved what it set out to do.”
What would you say to someone considering taking the Yachting & Mental Health course?
”My thinking is that if you work in yachting, this course is an investment in yourself. There is a lot of focus on talking about physical safety onboard (which is very necessary), and our psychological wellbeing is just as important. Living and working in such a unique, high-pressure environment can affect crewmembers in ways they don’t always recognise until they are already struggling. You don’t need to be experiencing a mental health problem to benefit from this course. In fact, I would encourage people to take it before they reach that point. It gives you the knowledge and practical tools to understand yourself better, manage the pressures of life onboard, recognise early warning signs, and know when to reach out for support. I also believe it can make you a better colleague and crewmember. When you understand your own mental health, you become better equipped to recognise when someone around you may not be okay and to respond with greater empathy and understanding. Ultimately, I want people to come away from the course feeling that looking after their mental health is not a luxury or a sign of weakness — it is an essential part of being healthy, resilient and able to thrive in the yachting industry. So, if you’re considering taking it, I would say: give yourself the opportunity to learn how to look after the most important person onboard — you.”
Maritime Training Academy Short Course in Yachting & Mental Health
- 6 Month access to the online student platform – 100% Online learning
- One module with 20 multiple choice assessment
- £295.00 +VAT if applicable
- Digital PDF Certificate on successful completion
- Digital Course Badge on successful completion
Ready to dive deeper? Begin the Yachting & Mental Health Short Course today!
