We’ve all felt the stress of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) – from changes in job duties to extra or longer shifts and from the pain of losing patients to the fear of infecting family members. That makes it more important than ever to take care of ourselves.
To help with this, Ballad Health’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP) has developed a “Caring Circles” COVID-19 virtual support group for all team members. It will be centered around the traumatic experiences of healthcare workers dealing with COVID-19.
How does it work?
- Support groups will be held each Tuesday at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. via Zoom, starting March 30.
- Each session is open for one hour with a structured format where participants are given the opportunity to share.
- See the EAP intranet page for more information on the Zoom link for each group. The links for the 8 a.m. session will remain the same from week to week, and the links for the 5 p.m. session will stay the same from week to week.
- Once a team member gets the link in advance, they can then use it to access the session from home, their phone or wherever they choose. If necessary, call the EAP office and the link will be provided.
- The EAP’s licensed therapists have developed a 15-week curriculum, with different information each week.
- After each meeting, participants are welcome to connect further with one another using the video conferencing, chat and audio features available.
- The groups are free with minimal registration of job title and facility only.
If you have any questions or feel the need for additional support outside of this self-help group, please reach out to the EAP at 423-302-3480 to learn more about individual counseling sessions and other services available.
Click here to register and get the Zoom link, or find out more about the Caring Circles support group.
