#TheStruggleIsReal
In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness, and in response to the sudden global health emergency we find ourselves facing due to COVID-19, we have put together a dynamic resource summary from leading animal welfare organizations and mental health professionals which discuss a variety of mental health topics, including the best coping strategies, building resilience, self-care and wellness, and remote working strategies for yourself, your staff, and your volunteer team.
Animal Welfare, Covid-19 Specific:
Compassionate Badassery – The Best Friends Pod Casts, Episode 7, 4/30/2020
Working in animal welfare, municipal sheltering, and field services can be emotionally, mentally, and physically taxing. The evolution of the animal welfare profession has spurred a heightened awareness of the need to self-care and care for others. This Best Friends podcast is the first in a series that all focus on wellness. In this podcast, Amanda Paris (a shelter manager) discusses the realization of the impact ten years in the field has had on her, and Jessica Dolce shares her expertise on how you can practice “compassionate badassery.”
COVID 19 Staff and Volunteer Morale
In this recorded Best Friends Animal Society Town Hall (4/30/2020), Jose Ocaño (Director of Culture and Talent at Best Friends Animal Society), Dr. Erin Katribe (Medical Director at Best Friends Animal Society), and five leading animal welfare professionals from across the country provide working knowledge of how to help your organization’s keep spirits up during this period of uncertainty, fear, chaos, and change. Speakers also provide insight on how to manage staff who do not work well remotely and encourage the identification of your organization’s “silver lining” brought about by the changes COVID-19 has inflicted on your organization.
In this webinar presented by the AAWA, Dr. Brian DiGangi, DVM, and Karen Walsh, LVT, focus on building personal resilience. Attendees will learn how to recognize and address compassion fatigue triggers in their animal care work, build support and coping skills, and create a meaningful self-care plan through a variety of evidence-based resources. Upon completion of this webinar, attendees are given access to a comprehensive list of resources including website links, PDF files, and videos for better strategies in building resilience in yourself and your team.
COVID-19 Leadership Lessons: We’re All Exhausted. Now What?
In this blog post and video, HSUS and AAWA join forces to provide some simple and powerful steps that managers can take to support staff (and themselves). Check out this “Ten minutes with the experts” video interview and read the condensed version with links to additional resources at the bottom.
General Mental Health, Covid-19 Specific:
In this webinar hosted by Virox, “Rather than focusing on just the things that don’t go so well, you can choose to focus more on the things that you have and the things that are within your control.” Follow the link below to an hour-long webinar by Dr. Nadine Hamilton on mental health and coping during COVID-19. In this webinar she discusses how you can help yourself and others get through this time of crisis.
Working Remotely During Covid-19, Your Mental Health and Well-being
In this electronic publication, the American Psychiatric Association Foundation provides tips for maintaining your best personal health and wellness, managing a current mental health condition, how HR managers can best support their employees during Covid-19, and numerous additional links to mental health and wellness resources.
Webinar Series: Mental Health America (MHA)
Mental Health America is the nation’s leading community-based nonprofit dedicated to addressing the needs of Americans living with mental illness. From the “Center for Peer Support” tab at the top of the Mental Health America website, you can access their upcoming webinars and recordings of past webinars on a variety of mental health and peer support topics.
TED Talk – “The Three Secrets of Resilient People”, Dr. Lucy Hone
During this TED Talk, Dr. Lucy Hone shares the three strategies that got her through an unimaginable tragedy—and offers a profound insight on human suffering. Dr. Hone is a director of the New Zealand Institute of Wellbeing & Resilience, a research associate at AUT University, a published academic researcher, best-selling author and contributor to Psychology Today, the Sunday Star Times and Next magazine.
