How can business owners be sensitive to staff needs during the COVID-19 pandemic? What resources are available to promote mental health? These were just a few of the questions explored by expert panelists during the NCGrowth-SmartUp webinar on Wednesday, May 27, 2020. The webinar, “Mental Health Strategies Amidst COVID-19,” addressed various strategies and techniques that may be useful in and outside of the workplace. Nicole Outlaw Staton, program manager for NCGrowth-SmartUp in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and Kellye Whitaker, program manager for NCGrowth-SmartUp in North Charleston, South Carolina, served as moderators. Expert panelists included Ruby Brown-Herring, Janice McGilberry and Dr. Dawn Baldwin Gibson.
Brown-Herring is the owner of Herring Training and Consulting, which designs and implements employee mental wellness programs in Raleigh, North Carolina and beyond. McGilberry, a licensed professional counselor, owns and operates Connect for Wellness in Durham, North Carolina. Her practice offers a variety of services and resources for various populations. Baldwin Gibson is chair of the North Carolina Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) Emotional and Spiritual Care Task Force, as well as the executive pastor of Peletah Ministries and superintendent of Peletah Academic Center for Excellence (PACE) in New Bern, North Carolina. Both the ministry and the school incorporate a trauma-informed framework, which helps individuals to learn, talk and grieve about trauma.
To kick off the session, panelists answered the question, “Why is mental health important?” Brown-Herring said, “Because mental health impacts so many areas of our lives. We often just think of physical wellness, but mental wellness is such a huge part of that.” McGilberry and Gibson both confirmed that good mental health keeps us flexible and balanced throughout life, helping us to navigate the world while making good decisions for ourselves and others.
Experts then discussed current mental health challenges for business owners and employees, such as how to ensure an appropriate work/life balance during COVID-19. Gibson shared strategies that she uses to encourage balance for her own employees, whose work and home environments are currently synonymous. For example, she said, creating a routine is extremely important, as are taking breaks, journaling and making sure that work concludes once the business day ends. In addition, Gibson said that her organizations try to create a safe place in the home for employees through mental health check-ins and by using Facebook Messenger rooms to remind people to take breaks. As Gibson emphasized and Brown-Herring agreed, “We’ve got to keep physical distance, but not social distance. We need that social interaction to stay healthy.” McGilberry also addressed how the pandemic has shifted the day-to-day operations of her practice. Technological issues have been the primary challenge: “Is the internet working today? Does the client have strong WiFi? Will we be able to make it through the session?” Before, said McGilberry, the challenge was to help clients find transportation to sessions. Now, the organization is faced with finding ways to provide services to a population largely without the resources for remote or virtual therapy.
McGilberry also spoke about the need for caution in individuals coping with current or pre-existing mental health conditions. Such individuals should be mindful of and avoid any triggers (e.g., triggers for trauma, anxiety, substance abuse, etc.). They should rigorously practice consistent self-care, as well as have a support system in place for accountability and a plan of action. If individuals were seeing a therapist prior to COVID-19, they should continue that routine virtually, which helps with continuity of care.
Gibson agreed that mental health support is crucial during this time, especially as employers might be dealing with tragedies in unprecedented ways. When a PACE scholar passed away this past March, for example, Gibson shared that the community wasn’t able to physically be with the family for support. “It’s still jarring,” she said. “These are not normal processes. How do you keep going in the midst of a pandemic and tragedy? We are continually reinforcing that it is necessary to grieve.” Offering additional mental health support for the work community was also important.
As recent reports show a historic increase in mental health problems due to COVID-19, Brown-Herring talked about resources and programs available to employers, including the Centers for Disease Control website, the Small Business Administration, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (which has spent the last few years looking at workplace wellness). At a micro-level, Brown-Herring pointed out the need for transparency between business owners and employees, saying, “If I am the owner of a business and I’m having a bad day, my team is going to pick up on my gloominess. One of the things that I tell my clients is to start with a basic conversation among your team. Ask, ‘How are y’all doing?’ and be honest about your emotions. Show that you’re thinking about the work they do, but also how they’re feeling.”
During the Q&A session that followed, one participant asked the panelists if they are currently advertising more for online counseling services and virtual therapy. McGilberry said she was, stating that, due to the current state of the country, virtual sessions are the best option to keep everyone safe. Brown-Herring noted that a positive outcome of the shift to virtual therapy has been an increase in people showing up for appointments.
Additional Q&A discussion included ways to encourage men to discuss their mental health during this time, and mental health strategies for children now that the infrastructure of school has disappeared for the summer. For the latter, Gibson said that it’s necessary for parents and caregivers to check in with their children and validate their feelings is necessary. Brown-Herring added, “For children, it’s really about their sense of safety being disrupted. How do we make sure that their sense of safety is in place?”
Panelists also talked about whether the pandemic could actually be a positive in overcoming the stigma surrounding mental health. Brown-Herring said that the pandemic has offered an opportunity to reduce stigma, as folks can have conversations about their mental health in a closed environment. McGilberry hoped that, in the future, counselors would continue to include more virtual options for counseling, while creatively addressing challenges such as client privacy in the home.
The final question posed asked panelists their thoughts on dealing with potential trauma caused home isolation and the overwhelming nature of a constant barrage of news. All panelists agreed that individuals should monitor the amount of information they absorb each day. Brown-Herring emphasized that individuals should think beyond news found online, consider having conversations about news information within your household, and set boundaries on the amount and type of information they consume. McGilberry suggested putting a cap on social media, as well as acknowledging feelings about injustice (e.g., violence against people of color) and channeling those feelings to think about concrete ways to obtain justice. Gibson shared that her school was having an online session with scholars that night to discuss the horrific events currently happening. The session was in response to the sense of isolation the pandemic can create in communities—and was another positive resource, she said, to address and promote mental health.