Assessing for Workplace Wellness

The World Health Organization states that occupational health should address all aspects of health and safely in the workplace with a strong focus on prevention of hazards, including stress-related disorders.

Throughout the world, there has been increasing concern regarding the wellness of employees.  Unfortunately, this concern has received more attention in recent years only due to the economic burden associated with the obesity epidemic and numerous chronic diseases that have been linked to obesity, including hypertension, cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes.

Workplace Wellness refers to the organizational policies and workplace activities focused on health promotion. Examples might include providing health coaching or weight management programs, wellness newsletters, allowing flex time for exercising, offering healthy food options in vending machines or workplace cafeterias, or offering financial incentives to participate in health-related activities.

While many larger organizations, such as universities, may offer workplace wellness programs, smaller organizations and businesses, such as mental health agencies, may not offer a wellness program or include wellness in their organizational policies.  Counselors may, in many cases, be responsible for creating their own wellness plans to manage work-related stress or other health concerns.  Unfortunately, many counselors may not realize that the pressure from their workload has become excessive and unmanageable until they experience health problems or exhibit problems in their work performance.

The American Counseling Association's Task Force on Counselor Wellness and Impairment has created a resource page on their website to address the needs of impaired counselors.  For counselors who may be experiencing workplace stress or who would like to monitor their level of stress there are two assessment tools, Self-Care Assessment and Stress Reactions Inventory,  that can be utilized by counselors on a regular basis.  The Professional Quality of Life assessment (and manual) measures compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, vicarious traumatization, and the potential for burnout in counselors.

Choose Wellness!

Being Authentic includes Self-Care

As counselors we know that being authentic with our clients is important for establishing and building relationships.  As we work with clients to help them improve their level of wellness and self-care, it is important that we practice what we preach.

Counseling is a "one-way caring relationship" and some therapists may be naturally inclined to focus on the needs of others first or become caretakers in their personal relationships.  It may be difficult for some therapists to focus on themselves and practice the self-care or wellness tips that they highly recommend to their clients or loved ones.

Instead of going it alone, counselors can reach out to peers and other professionals to create wellness support groups or participate in ongoing activities outside of work to promote wellness, such as attending yoga classes, scheduling lunch dates with peers, or attending a movie with friends or family.

At work, instead of looking at wellness as something you "do" once or twice a week, begin to incorporate wellness into your daily work routine as much as possible.  This could mean taking a couple of minutes for a mindfulness meditation between clients, setting boundaries regarding the number of clients you see each day or adjusting the times when they are scheduled, taking several 15-minute breaks throughout the day to get outside, walk around and take in some fresh air, or meeting with a peer consultation group or a clinical supervisor on a weekly basis to problem-solve cases.

Choose Wellness!

Resources:Shallcross, L. (2011).  Taking care of yourself as a counselor.  Counseling Today.  American Counseling Association.  

Work Engagement

The results are in!  GALLUP's survey, State of the American Workplace:  2010 - 2012, reports that 70 percent of workers in the United States are not engaged or are actively disengaged in their work!

The term "actively disengaged" refers to those employees who are emotionally disconnected from their companies and, as such, more likely to miss work and negatively influence coworkers and/or customers.

Participants in the study who were at the beginning and the end of their careers tended to be the most engaged in their work.  So, what does that mean for everyone else who is floating somewhere in the middle?

Tips for becoming more engaged in your work:

Focus on your strengths.  If you aren't using your strengths in your work, maybe it's time to let your boss know what your strengths are and how they might best be utilized.  Per GALLUP's research, people who used their strengths everyday were six times more likely to be engaged at work.  As clinician's we help our clients identify their strengths.  Have you been ignoring yours?

Know your roles and responsibilities and make sure you have the right tools and training to do your job.  If your role and responsibilities at work are unclear, you may need assistance from your supervisor to identify what they are.  If you are taking on other peoples responsibilities, it may be time to speak up and let them carry the load for themselves.  If you don't have the training that you need for the types of clients that you are working with then it's time to find the training that you need and seek supervision from someone who has the experience to guide you.

Be friendly and practice gratitude.  Everyday is another opportunity to build relationships with your co-workers and clients.  Practice gratitude by focusing on the positives in your work environment.  If there aren't too many positives, and you've tried to change things, it may be time to look for a job and a work environment that will build you up instead of tear you down.

If you are one of the 70 percent who are experiencing dissatisfaction with your job, you might want to ask yourself the following questions.  Share your responses with a friend or trusted peer if you need to process things.

What do I get out of my role or job?

What do I contribute to my job, my team and my company?

Do I belong in this job and with this company?  Do I have the ability to learn, grow and input my ideas here?

Based on your answers, you might find that you are able to tweak a few minor things at work that will increase your level of work satisfaction.
 
You may find that you are not able to change your responsibilities or a work situation that creates dissatisfaction but you may be able to make peace with it, especially if you can find the benefits that the job provides you with right now. 

Benefits might mean a decent salary that allows you to save a nest egg or pay off student loans, health insurance, educational or training opportunities, or a flexible schedule.  As a registered intern working towards mental health licensure, I remember the pay wasn't the best but I was getting the direct client contact hours and supervision I needed, plus some great experience conducting individual, group and couples counseling.  The work experience I gained during that time definitely outweighed the low salary I received. 

After evaluating your responses to the questions above, you may find that the negatives of your work completely outweigh the positives and it's time for you to look elsewhere for job satisfaction.  If so, it's time to happily update that resume and start networking because staying in a job that makes you miserable is just unhealthy.    

 

Choose Wellness!

April is Stress Awareness Month!

Tips for StressWellness!

Create personal affirmations and repeat them out loud on a daily basis.  One suggestion for doing this is to write your affirmations on an index card and tape them to your bathroom mirror where you are sure to see them!  Practice saying your affirmations while looking in the mirror.

Do you know how many negative thoughts we think about ourselves during one day??  Way too many!!  When you catch yourself thinking something negative like, "What's the point?  I'll never be good at this."....STOP and REGROUP!  Turn that negative into a positive..."With practice, I am improving everyday.  Keep up the good work!".

Are there specific people or one person who causes you the most stress in your life?  It may be time to re-evaluate your relationships.  If you are surrounded by negative people it will increase your level of stress.  Find people who are positive!

Journal your thoughts and feelings when you are feeling stressed.  Write things down, in the very moment when you are feeling the most stress, and then come back later when you are feeling better and read what you wrote.  Rereading your journal posts may help you see another perspective on the situations or people that are the most stressful...and help you find solutions to handle things differently in the future.

Choose Wellness!