By Fiona Soltes
If there were any benefits to the stressors of recent years, one is that mental health has come to the forefront. The pandemic has helped many recognize the importance of managing mental wellbeing proactively as part of overall healthcare. How much more so for those who support people impacted by serious health conditions?
This year’s BDC includes a Thursday afternoon session called Mental Health Breaks Lead to Positive Breakthroughs, and it’s aimed specifically at chapter leaders. Samantha Carlson, MSW, LMSW, NHF senior manager of research programs and partnerships, will helm the discussion.
Increasing awareness about mental health can be a double-edged sword, she said. On one hand, “It’s wonderful that it’s getting so much attention.” On the other, people can believe they’ve “heard it all” and don’t need further education. This session, then, aims to deliver not only information about stress and burnout, but also about the latest self-care tools that can be used on a regular basis, including prioritization, delegation and communication strategies. Attendees will have the chance to take part in an ecomap exercise, exploring their individual strengths and supports.
It’s essential that those who work in nonprofit and social service settings take care of themselves, and are able to recognize challenges such as victimization, traumatization, secondary stress and compassion fatigue, she said. Within an organization like NHF, these factors can be compounded by the fact that chapter leaders and other volunteers may be personally impacted by a bleeding disorder themselves.
“Many of these leaders bring extra passion to their roles,” she said. “How do you create that work/life balance? It’s an important conversation to have.”
Carlson hopes that attendees come away with fresh perspective, perhaps increased awareness of personal strengths, and an understanding of how to maximize the microsystems they’re involved in for the greatest support. Each chapter and each region is unique, she said, “and we want to make sure we’re using realistic tools for each one we’re looking at.”
NHF greatly values the mental health of its employees and the communities they serve, she said, and has continued to increase its commitments in the mental health arena. There is, for example, a robust list of mental health resources and information on the NHF website (https://www.hemophilia.org/educational-programs/education/mental-health). This includes mental health crisis hotlines, a mental health resource list, information on live workshops, bleeding disorder specific resources, educational offerings, webinars and more. In addition, this year’s BDC includes several mental health sessions aimed at consumers, all taking place Saturday morning: There’s Supporting Your Teen’s Mental Health; EMDR and Emerging Therapies for Mental Health; and a closed session for teens called Your Mental Health Matters: Tools for Teens.
“It’s awesome to see how the community continues to evolve,” she said. ■
Thursday, 2:40 p.m. - 3:40 p.m.
Chapter Track
Maryland Ballroom B | Ballroom Level