Mental health is just as important to our overall well-being as our physical health—but a recent CNN/Kaiser Family Foundation survey revealed that 90% of Americans feel the country is experiencing a mental health crisis. At our Providence family of organizations, we do all we can to safeguard the mental health of all caregivers (all employees) through comprehensive mental wellness benefits, resources and support, along with peer trauma response teams to assist after adverse events.

Mental health benefits for those who “forget to fill our own cups back up”

Providence caregivers receive our best-in-class benefits from their first day, and that includes a host of mental wellness benefits and resources. Covenant RN Trent says, “Mental health is so important in our field. This is a giving field. We’re constantly giving and giving and giving all day. And sometimes it’s hard for us as caregivers because we forget to fill our own cups back up. So, knowing that I can go to therapy when I need to, I think that’s the biggest thing that I love about Covenant and Providence. They care about my mental health and the mental health of everyone around me.”

The Caregiver Assistance Program through Lyra offers free and confidential mental wellness resources and support for all caregivers and their families—including counseling support 24/7. This includes:

• Mental Health Therapy (individual, couples, family, child): Lyra’s in-network therapists are experts at diagnosing mental health conditions and identifying thoughts, behaviors and strong emotions that cause depression, anxiety or PTSD.
• Providence Behavioral Health Concierge: This confidential service offered exclusively to caregivers and dependents provides quick access to highly skilled, licensed clinicians, by video or phone, 7 days a week.
• Mental Health Coaching: Caregivers can meet with a certified coach to get to the root of their challenges, gain new insights and see things through a new lens.
• Guided Self-Care: Crafted by a Mental Health Coach, this is a personalized six-week digital care plan.
• Lyra Essentials: Self-care tools that teach new skills based on proven behavioral health approaches.
• Lyra Learn: An eLearning platform with on-demand courses and live monthly workshops curated and facilitated by mental health professionals.

Caregivers in select locations across all seven Providence states also have on-site access to counselors who can provide one-on-one support and coaching for a variety of issues, including:

• Work-life balance
• Parenting and family concerns
• Depression, anxiety and stress
• Setting goals
• Communication skills
• Referrals for additional assistance

Says Providence Swedish Patient Services Representative Hannah, “They’re really big on mental health and preventing burnout. They want to make sure that you have everything you need to be successful so that you can be there long term.”

Protecting the mental health of minority caregivers

Among minority groups, diagnosed mental health conditions can be even more common. Compared to other demographic groups in the United States, depression is likely to be more persistent in Black and Hispanic people, and people who identify as LGBTQ+ are twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to report a mental health illness.

Kadlec RN Franklin felt this firsthand. He and his family immigrated from Venezuela to Washington when he was young, then when Franklin was nine, his mother and stepfather returned to Venezuela. Franklin was raised by his loving grandmother but struggled with mental health issues, which he says was particularly difficult being part of a Hispanic culture that “just tells you to get over it.”

“I never knew quite where I fit in and where I belonged,” says Franklin. “I struggled with many different worlds. I would see my friends having their parents together and that always affected me; I struggled with my sexuality. I struggled with anxiety and depression, even though I didn’t know what it was at that time. I struggled with anger at myself.”

Ultimately, Franklin decided to seek help in the form of counseling and medication, and over the years developed an array of tools to help him stay healthy:

• Admitting when he’s not feeling mentally okay
• Practicing positive self-talk
• Keeping positive reminders on his phone
• Journaling
• Leaning into faith
• Exercising, including yoga and meditation

Franklin emphasizes the importance of nurturing positive relationships—and he has many working at Kadlec. He says he felt welcomed from the day he started. “I knew at that moment; this is where I needed to be. I felt like it would be my home—and it has been.”

Peer support for caregivers after traumatic events

Sometimes mental health issues are spurred by trauma, which can include anything from a natural disaster to patient-related trauma to chronic stress to compassion fatigue and beyond. To help caregivers through these moments, Providence has a peer support program called Code Lavender. A trained team of fellow caregivers responds after an adverse event. Team members are well versed on critical incident stress management, listening and support skills, and resources for referral to the next level of care, if needed. Code Lavender was pioneered at our Texas-based Covenant Health, with grant funding from Texas Mutual, then similar programs were cascaded to the other hospitals in the Providence system.

Says Providence Emergency Department RN Scott, “After a high stress and traumatic experience in the ED, I was able to speak with the mental health coaches and we as a team had a critical stress debrief with staff that really helped to release tension and stress.”

About providing this critical and ongoing support, Providence Swedish Chief Nursing Officer Renee says, “We know the better you are mentally, the better you’re able to serve.”

Work where your mental health is as important as your physical health

Interested in working with us? We’re hiring across our seven-state footprint. View all roles to find the right fit for your skillset.