Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program
The COVID-19 pandemic led to heightened anxiety, distress, and burnout among healthcare workers and faculty in academic medicine. Penn Medicine launched Coping First Aid (CFA) in March 2020 in response to the pandemic. Informed by Psychological First Aid principles and therapeutic micro skills, CFA...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1073639/full |
| _version_ | 1797979188564590592 |
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| author | Kimberly T. Arnold Kimberly T. Arnold Emily M. Becker-Haimes Katherine Wislocki Lisa Bellini Cecilia Livesey Kelley Kugler Michal Weiss Courtney Benjamin Wolk |
| author_facet | Kimberly T. Arnold Kimberly T. Arnold Emily M. Becker-Haimes Katherine Wislocki Lisa Bellini Cecilia Livesey Kelley Kugler Michal Weiss Courtney Benjamin Wolk |
| author_sort | Kimberly T. Arnold |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The COVID-19 pandemic led to heightened anxiety, distress, and burnout among healthcare workers and faculty in academic medicine. Penn Medicine launched Coping First Aid (CFA) in March 2020 in response to the pandemic. Informed by Psychological First Aid principles and therapeutic micro skills, CFA was designed as a tele-mental healthcare service for health system employees and their families delivered by trained lay volunteer coaches under the supervision of licensed mental health clinicians. We present an overview of the model, feasibility and utilization data, and preliminary implementation and effectiveness outcomes based on cross sectional coach (n = 22) and client (n = 57) self-report surveys with a subset of program users in the first year. A total of 44 individuals completed training and were certified to coach. Over the first 24 months of the program, 513 sessions occurred with 273 clients (119 sessions were no-shows or canceled). Follow-up appointments were recommended in 52.6% (n = 270) of sessions and 21.2% (n = 109) of clients were referred for professional mental health care. Client survey respondents reported CFA was helpful; 60% were very or extremely satisfied, and 74% indicated they would recommend the program. Our preliminary findings suggest that CFA was feasible to implement and most clients found the service beneficial. CFA provides a model for rapidly developing and scaling mental health supports during and beyond the pandemic. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:36:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-b658d10851ed403c82ffbab9d47eb826 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T05:36:08Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-b658d10851ed403c82ffbab9d47eb8262022-12-22T13:12:31ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402022-12-011310.3389/fpsyt.2022.10736391073639Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching programKimberly T. Arnold0Kimberly T. Arnold1Emily M. Becker-Haimes2Katherine Wislocki3Lisa Bellini4Cecilia Livesey5Kelley Kugler6Michal Weiss7Courtney Benjamin Wolk8Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, United StatesThe COVID-19 pandemic led to heightened anxiety, distress, and burnout among healthcare workers and faculty in academic medicine. Penn Medicine launched Coping First Aid (CFA) in March 2020 in response to the pandemic. Informed by Psychological First Aid principles and therapeutic micro skills, CFA was designed as a tele-mental healthcare service for health system employees and their families delivered by trained lay volunteer coaches under the supervision of licensed mental health clinicians. We present an overview of the model, feasibility and utilization data, and preliminary implementation and effectiveness outcomes based on cross sectional coach (n = 22) and client (n = 57) self-report surveys with a subset of program users in the first year. A total of 44 individuals completed training and were certified to coach. Over the first 24 months of the program, 513 sessions occurred with 273 clients (119 sessions were no-shows or canceled). Follow-up appointments were recommended in 52.6% (n = 270) of sessions and 21.2% (n = 109) of clients were referred for professional mental health care. Client survey respondents reported CFA was helpful; 60% were very or extremely satisfied, and 74% indicated they would recommend the program. Our preliminary findings suggest that CFA was feasible to implement and most clients found the service beneficial. CFA provides a model for rapidly developing and scaling mental health supports during and beyond the pandemic.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1073639/fullCOVID-19resiliencywellnesshealthcare workersPsychological First Aid |
| spellingShingle | Kimberly T. Arnold Kimberly T. Arnold Emily M. Becker-Haimes Katherine Wislocki Lisa Bellini Cecilia Livesey Kelley Kugler Michal Weiss Courtney Benjamin Wolk Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program Frontiers in Psychiatry COVID-19 resiliency wellness healthcare workers Psychological First Aid |
| title | Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| title_full | Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| title_fullStr | Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| title_full_unstemmed | Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| title_short | Increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| title_sort | increasing access to mental health supports for healthcare workers during the covid 19 pandemic and beyond through a novel coaching program |
| topic | COVID-19 resiliency wellness healthcare workers Psychological First Aid |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1073639/full |
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