The share of patients with mental health diagnoses rose nearly 40% between 2019 and 2023, according to a FAIR Health study. And that is having serious repercussions at work.
“The number of people who aren’t sleeping, can’t focus, or feel lost or sad is larger than you think,” said Donna Skupien, BSN, RN, MBA, Vice President of Innovation and Growth at Vanderbilt Health. “Employers need to have people healthy and engaged,” she added. “It drives performance.”
The good news is that more people are now willing to talk about their mental health issues. “To meet that demand, we need more resources, including at work,” said Jon Ebert, PsyD, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at VUMC.
Emphasis on Psychological Safety
Among those resources are educational events from Vanderbilt Health Employer Solutions (VHES). Employers can work with VHES to host these events, which cover a wide range of topics devoted to wellness and prevention with the goal of strengthening physical, mental and spiritual health. The VHES team can also partner with an employer’s leadership team to craft customized workshops that meet the unique needs of a workforce.
One set of educational workshops promotes psychological safety, defined as a person’s belief that a work environment is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Over multiple sessions, Vanderbilt Health experts aim to build a workplace in which employees feel comfortable asking for help, sharing ideas and concerns, disagreeing respectfully, and revealing their own mistakes without fear of embarrassment or retribution. Presenters use role play, videos from thought leaders, breakout sessions and other creative tools to encourage and reinforce effective teamwork behaviors.
“You should feel safe that when you offer something to the group that your coworkers will value it,” explained Stephanie Brodtrick, PhD, VUMC Senior Director of Learning Systems and Organization Development, who leads the workshops with Skupien and Ebert.
“To be fully engaged in anything, we need to feel we won’t be unfairly judged for our reactions, feelings or questions,” Skupien added. Ebert cites another benefit: “When you feel safe, you are curious and speak up and then are more likely to create innovation.”
Collaborating With the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum
When the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum set out to break the silence around mental health in the workplace, they turned to VHES to help spark real, stigma-free conversations—from the frontlines to the executive suite. Together, the team has been leading interactive, organization-wide workshops every May for Mental Health Month and again each November ahead of the holidays.
The workshops start with the team giving all participants a needs assessment. “We can have all sorts of ideas about what people need, but listening is so important,” Ebert explained. “We craft plans and goals based on their feedback.”
To create a comfortable environment for conversation, the workshops use the Mentimeter app, which is anonymous, and allows the audience to use their phones to take polls. It also asks questions that the group can submit responses to, which stimulates engagement.
“During the session, we scroll through the comments and discuss them with the group in real-time. And even if we don’t get to discuss all the responses, we still get to see what is top of mind for everyone,” Brodtrick said.
A Focus on Leadership
Leaders are an important audience for these sessions at the museum. “We focus on empowering executives to have conversations with their teams,” Skupien said. “We talk about mental health first aid, training leaders to recognize and support folks with mental health needs.”
While the workshops with institutional leaders typically address challenging issues such as anxiety and depression, they also explore positive aspects of mental health. “We encourage groups to think about mental health joys, like gratitude and awe,” Ebert explained. “Cultivating those joys can be protective against future adversity and stress.”
The workshops help leaders show up intentionally for their teams and foster a supportive and resilient staff.
To learn more, check out this article, and to plan an event, email employersolutions@vumc.org or call (615) 421–0112.
