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It's unreasonable to expect managers to know when someone on their team faces a high risk of mental health issues, when even clinicians can miss the signs, according to experts.

Managers shouldn't be expected to diagnose problems, but they can be trained to notice and respond to signs that something might be wrong, Sonder director of clinical services Kimi Powell told the recent Sonder Summit.

Powell, who shared the stage with Sonder counsellor and clinical supervisor Marion Blundell, posed the question: "Should a manager be able to tell the difference between someone who's struggling and someone who's high risk?"

"No, not at all," Blundell said.

"Even with training, sometimes you get that wrong. And sometimes people think that if someone's disclosing a whole lot to you, that that's helpful. But sometimes that can just exacerbate the risk..."