#FirstRespondersFirst

The ability to heal is at the center of any health condition and every health crisis.  This is a human truth. The people at the center of public health are our first responders: our frontline workers, healthcare professionals, social workers and caregivers.  In order to do their job of caring for others, they must be well-supported with resources that lift them up and strengthen their resilience, mentally and physically.

The Compassion in Action Webinar Series offers healthcare workers, leaders and managers a unique opportunity to learn about topics related to compassionate, collaborative care from leading practitioners and researchers in this field. 

Healthcare Workers

The Tapping Solution can provide control and support as you work through difficult and traumatic emotions. This article explains the effect of emotional freedom techniques on nurses’ stress, anxiety, and burnout levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Academic Consortium for Integrative Medicine and Health has a collection of well-being resources for yourself and others.

This PTSD Coach Online provides specific tools for specific problems you may want help with. If you are experiencing grief, you may find resources to cope here.

The National Academy of Medicine has curated a large bank of resources to support the health and well-being of clinicians during the COVID-19 outbreak.

This article shares important information on how nurses can protect themselves from the effects of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue as they work to save others.

Personal Skills

This helpful infographic provides tips for how to reduce your workplace stress whether you are a leader or any member of a team.

Fortify your skill set to cope with the challenges ahead: Dr. Tony Bach (UW Oncology) and Larisa Benson offer “Preparing Ourselves for the Next Wave”. This 30 minute session introduces mindfulness practices you can use on the fly and creates space to address your concerns.

The Faculty Factory podcast has a brief guided meditation for a few minutes of calm. Neda Gould, PhD also provides tips for dealing with uncertainty in uncertain times. Mindfulness Northwest has a collection of free mindfulness tips and practices.

FACE COVID: How to respond effectively to the corona crisis by Dr. Russ Harris, author of The Happiness Trap. Practice these skills on better managing your energy and attention to maximize your resilience and performance. Use this brochure to build your responder personal resilience plan.

Free smartphone apps that promote mental well-being:  VA COVID Coach, Mindfulness Coach, Virtual HopeBox, CBT-I Coach, My3

Families and Partners

Here are tips for taking care of yourself and your family members during the coronavirus outbreak. And here are five ways to help during the coronavirus.

The UW Center for Child & Family Well-Being has updated its events and classes and maintains an online resource library of resources to support you and your family.

This Behavioral Health Toolbox for Families: Supporting Children and Teens During the COVID-19 Pandemic provides tips on how to navigate some of the emotional responses that families may experience during this pandemic.

We know this is a challenging time for the families of our healthcare workers. You may listen to and watch recent peer support sessions for partners and spouses of healthcare workers here and here.