At WJCS, we know that caring for those who come to us for support starts with providing care and support for our team members. While mental health and human services work comes with a sense of pride, fulfillment, and altruistic achievement, this critical work can also come with stress and vicarious trauma. That’s why we take a trauma-informed holistic approach to employee self-care and well-being since as the old adage goes, “you cannot pour from an empty cup.”
WJCS has made many strides over the past years to become a Trauma-Informed agency. This means that we prioritize physical and emotional safety, avoid retraumatizing people, and actively support healing and resilience with our staff.
Our Trauma-Informed Care Organization (TICO) committee is guiding these efforts, and in addition to monthly meetings, has instituted Community Circles. These meetings are focused on creating psychologically safe spaces so staff can share anything on their minds and provide mutual support. During staff meetings in the Clinics and Trauma divisions, we do Mindfulness exercises to bring calm and focus to these meetings, and we also do staff check ins about stress and vicarious trauma, so we know when we need to focus on “filling each others’ cups” when depleted. Our philosophy is that the clinical work, especially during challenging times, will be difficult and we need to come together to find and build solutions.
This Mental Health Awareness Month, we’ve taken extra effort to focus on and nurture the well-being of our staff with the addition of webinars and courses. A number of wellness webinars provided insight and practical tools to improve and sustain wellbeing; a four-week mindfulness course designed for mental health professionals, a workshop on stress reduction & relaxation techniques, and a webinar on improving sleep patterns naturally.
In addition to these opportunities to pause, learn, and practice self-care, we have created the space for us to join in community, both in support of one another and mental health for all. At the annual NAMI Walk, our largest staff group to date gathered along with family members and pets on a sunny Saturday to show their support for de-stigmatizing mental health as team #WJCSProud.
Aside from wellness at the workplace, we provided both informational and financial resources for our staff to support their personal well-being any way they choose. Our new wellness reimbursement program provides financial reimbursement for a wide range of personal wellness expenses. Team members have been reimbursed for everything from massages, to psychotherapy, to gym memberships, to creative art supplies, and more- they are encouraged to nurture their wellness in the way which is most meaningful to themselves. Information about a traditional yet expansive benefit was shared; our Employee Assistance Programs which provide access to mental health counselling and a host of personal resources. Finally, a self-guided resource created for our staff shared tips and resources for self-care ranging from gratitude practice, to hobby creation, to nutrition, to exercise, and more.
While we’ve given special attention to employee well-being this Mental Health Awareness Month, our wellness program provides year-round opportunities to help our team members feel nurtured; from financial wellness programming, to wellness activities at staff events, to monthly Community Circles and wellness webinars, year-round wellness reimbursement, and more. Dr. Kristin Neff, a professor and self-compassion researcher emphasized the power of nurturing one’s wellbeing, “When we give ourselves compassion, we are opening our hearts in a way that can transform our lives.” We know at WJCS that this self-compassion and resulting transformation extends to the 20,000 individuals who come to WJCS for support each year.
