Providing physical or behavioral healthcare to others during the global health pandemic can lead to increased levels of stress, fear, anxiety, burnout, frustration, and other strong emotions. It is imperative that physical and behavioral healthcare providers recognize personal signs of mental fatigue, are given supports in their organization to ensure continued productivity and quality care, and are provided with tools to learn how to cope and build resilience. This training series has been developed to encourage self-care and to assist in building resilience among physical and behavioral healthcare providers amid the global health pandemic.
Registration is free and required. Register for any/all sessions of this series. The series is available for individuals residing in Heath and Human Services (HHS) Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY).
Session Three
Providers are experiencing loss of normalcy, loss of routine, and other ambiguous loss. Many may also be dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one, or the loss of numerous patients. Compounding this sense of loss and grief, providers commonly carry their patients’ stories with them. It is important that providers connect with their patients. If providers feel nothing, then they cannot connect as strongly and may not be able to optimize patient care. However, this connection, especially during a pandemic, can lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS). This session will address signs and symptoms of grief and loss among providers that have been present during the pandemic, and will describe secondary traumatic stress. Presenters will also offer ways to prevent and respond to these experiences at both an organizational and individual level.
Trainers: Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH & Shawnda Schroeder PhD, MA
