Psychoeducation Based Programs To Improve Workplace Wellness
Mental health is an issue your organization can't afford to ignore
Posted on 04-24-2018, Read Time: - Min
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Most US employers offer workplace wellness programming, however only half of those programs actively address mental health concerns1. When wellness programs do address mental health concerns their primary focus is typically limited to depression or stress management1. This lack of mental health programming, and indeed the lack of broader mental and emotional health programming focused not just on pathology, but also general mental and emotional well-being misses a significant portion of wellness.
With 1 in 5 Americans facing a mental health or substance abuse issue within their lifetime2 employers cannot afford to ignore the mental health needs of their employees. Employers are subjected to the very real costs associated with the poor mental and emotional health of their employees, in both indirect and direct ways. The annual economic impact of depression alone in American was estimated to be over $210 billion in 20102, a number that is expected to continue to rise. Additionally, 217 million workdays are completely or partially lost each year due to mental illness3.
The good news is that mental health focused programming can be integrated into existing wellness programs addressing not only mental and emotional health concerns, but enhancing overall employee engagement in other more traditional aspects of wellness programming. Further through the use of psychoeducation and mental health experts, these programs can be targeted to an organization’s unique needs and delivered in a cost-effective format.
Psychoeducation is the process of providing information and support for individuals to better understand and cope with mental health issues and concerns. Psychoeducation is a flexible modality that can used to enhance employees mental, emotional and physical health4 and can be implemented either in-person or virtually, and in many different formats including groups, lectures, or one-on-one. Further there is flexibility in the content wherein curriculum can be targeted to specific needs, or focused on broader preventative approaches.
Psychoeducation is uniquely suited for integration within wellness programming as it is cost effective, integrates education with counseling techniques, reduces stigma, and allows employees to practice skills essential to wellness in a safe-setting4. With the interrelatedness between mental, emotional and physical health, counselors (and other mental health experts) are ideally positioned to help employees achieve their wellness goals5. Given the complexities of mental, emotional and physical health, a mental health expert is needed to lead psychoeducation effectively, ensuring that the information provided is accurate and delivered in a professional yet empathetic manner.
Examples of psychoeducation programming include stress management groups, emotional health focused lunch and learns, communication seminars, prevention and education on mental health issues, mindfulness skill groups, or even one-on-one wellness consultations. The beauty of psychoeducation programming run by a mental health expert is that it has a high degree of adaptability to the organization's current and future needs, while having an expert on hand to consult with regarding needs and resources on both an organizational and individual level.
Psychoeducation based programs work to enhance employee health and well-being in several ways. Psychoeducation can empower employees’ ability to identify their own mental health needs. Additionally, psychoeducation can improve adherence and engagement with more traditional physical health programming present in most contemporary wellness programs. Finally, psychoeducation can reduce stigma of mental health issues and provide an environment supportive to individuals struggling with mental health concerns.
A key aspect of mental health treatment is the individual’s recognition, and ability to verbalize, when they are experiencing mental health concerns. Since there is no blood test for depression, or any other mental or emotional disorder for that matter, diagnoses is a complex process. Psychoeducation helps empower individuals with verbiage specific to what they are experiencing mentally and emotionally, thus enabling them to communicate their mental health concerns in an effective manner. Improved communication regarding an individual's mental health concerns increases the probability that they will access resources and support in a timely manner, ultimately resulting in improved overall prognosis.
Co-occurrence of mental or emotional disorders with physical health issues is significant6. Individuals with depression typically consume two to four times the healthcare resources of other employees7. In addition to the very real financial costs, there also exists a complex interaction between employees mental and physical health outcomes. Depression alone is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease8. Further individuals with mental or emotional disorders frequently have other chronic medical illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease6. Mental health issues, left untreated, result in worse health outcomes for individuals with chronic illness9.
This interaction between mental and physical health outcomes becomes even more pronounced in wellness programs that do not address mental health. Interventions in these programs may only treat symptoms and not assess for, or address the foundational concern. For example, weight gain is often a symptom of depression, if a depressed employee engages in a weight loss focused intervention through their workplace wellness program they may gain some resources to address their weight. However, if the employee is unable to identify depression as at least a contributing factor to the issue of weight gain they are less likely to be able to resolve the core concern, and are thus more likely to not be able to reap the full benefit of the wellness program. If the employee were exposed to psychoeducation about depression they are more likely to be able to identify their need for additional resources to address the foundational concern.
Stigma towards mental health treatment has decreased, however stigma still presents a barrier for many individuals to seek treatment. Providing psychoeducation in the workplace increases the conversation regarding mental and emotional health, thus reducing stigma. Further providing psychoeducation sets a tone within the organization that mental and emotional health matter; supportive and consistent communication around these issues allows for individuals to be able to address their mental and emotional needs in a meaningful way.
Decreased stigma also increases the likelihood that employees will use the resources available to them. It is estimated that only 1.8% of employees with an EAP benefit available to them utilize it10, which given the incidence of mental and emotional disorders alone shows that this resource is vastly underutilized. Regularly scheduled psychoeducation series provide consistent reminders for employees to utilize resources available to them, such as EAPs, increasing the likelihood that they will utilize them.
Further the impacts of mental health issues rarely reside solely with the individual experiencing the disorder; rather the impacts of mental health issues reach far and wide impacting the individual's family, friends and colleagues. Education is needed not just for the individual experiencing the mental health issue, but those around them as well. This also empowers the community to better recognize mental health symptoms that may be related to greater risk for the individual themselves or the community at large.
Given the high incidence of mental health issues among the American workforce, the complex and inherent interaction between mental, emotional and physical health, as well as the alarmingly low number of individuals utilizing mental health resources, more emphasis needs to be placed on integrating mental health specific interventions within contemporary employee wellness programs. This need can be uniquely met by integrating psychoeducation programing, led by mental health experts, to current wellness programs. In addition to the benefits discussed earlier, there is the additional benefit that by adding in mental health to workplace wellness programs employees are viewed holistically, which has the potential to impact wellness outcomes in a positive way across the board.
References
1 Mattke, S., Liu, H., Caloyeras, J., Huang, C. Y., Van Busum, K. R., Khodyakov, D., & Shier, V. (2013). Workplace Wellness Programs Study: Final Report. Rand Health Quarterly, 3(2), 7.
2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-49, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4887. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014.
3 Hertz R. & Baker C. The impact of mental disorders on work. Pfizer Outcomes Research. Publication No P0002981. Pfizer; 2002.
4Lukens, E. P., & McFarlane, W. R. (2004). Psychoeducation as evidence-based practice: considerations for practice, research, and policy. Brief treatment and crisis intervention, 4(3), 205.
5 Saliba, Y., & Barden, S. (2017). Counselors and Workplace Wellness Programs: A Conceptual Model.
6 Kessler, R. C., Berglunhd, P., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Heeringa, S.,Hiripi, E., Jin, R., Pennell, B., Walters, E. E., Zaslavsky, A., &Zheng,H. The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R): Design and Field Procedures. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 2004; 13:69–92.
7 Goldman, H., Frank, R., Burnam, A., Huskamp, H., Ridgely,S.,Normand, S., Young, A...Blansinsky, M. Behavioral Health Insurance Parity for Federal Employees. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006; 354:1378-86.
8 Murray, C. J., Lopez, A. D., & World Health Organization. (1996). The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020: summary.
9 Chapman DP, Perry GS, Strine TW. The vital link between chronic disease and depressive disorders. Prev Chronic Dis. 2005 Jan;2(1):A14. [cited 2005 Oct 25]; Available from
10 Azzone, V., McCann, B., Merrick, E. L., Hiatt, D., Hodgkin, D., & Horgan, C. (2009). Workplace Stress, Organizational Factors and EAP Utilization. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 24(3), 344–356.
With 1 in 5 Americans facing a mental health or substance abuse issue within their lifetime2 employers cannot afford to ignore the mental health needs of their employees. Employers are subjected to the very real costs associated with the poor mental and emotional health of their employees, in both indirect and direct ways. The annual economic impact of depression alone in American was estimated to be over $210 billion in 20102, a number that is expected to continue to rise. Additionally, 217 million workdays are completely or partially lost each year due to mental illness3.
The good news is that mental health focused programming can be integrated into existing wellness programs addressing not only mental and emotional health concerns, but enhancing overall employee engagement in other more traditional aspects of wellness programming. Further through the use of psychoeducation and mental health experts, these programs can be targeted to an organization’s unique needs and delivered in a cost-effective format.
Psychoeducation is the process of providing information and support for individuals to better understand and cope with mental health issues and concerns. Psychoeducation is a flexible modality that can used to enhance employees mental, emotional and physical health4 and can be implemented either in-person or virtually, and in many different formats including groups, lectures, or one-on-one. Further there is flexibility in the content wherein curriculum can be targeted to specific needs, or focused on broader preventative approaches.
Psychoeducation is uniquely suited for integration within wellness programming as it is cost effective, integrates education with counseling techniques, reduces stigma, and allows employees to practice skills essential to wellness in a safe-setting4. With the interrelatedness between mental, emotional and physical health, counselors (and other mental health experts) are ideally positioned to help employees achieve their wellness goals5. Given the complexities of mental, emotional and physical health, a mental health expert is needed to lead psychoeducation effectively, ensuring that the information provided is accurate and delivered in a professional yet empathetic manner.
Examples of psychoeducation programming include stress management groups, emotional health focused lunch and learns, communication seminars, prevention and education on mental health issues, mindfulness skill groups, or even one-on-one wellness consultations. The beauty of psychoeducation programming run by a mental health expert is that it has a high degree of adaptability to the organization's current and future needs, while having an expert on hand to consult with regarding needs and resources on both an organizational and individual level.
Psychoeducation based programs work to enhance employee health and well-being in several ways. Psychoeducation can empower employees’ ability to identify their own mental health needs. Additionally, psychoeducation can improve adherence and engagement with more traditional physical health programming present in most contemporary wellness programs. Finally, psychoeducation can reduce stigma of mental health issues and provide an environment supportive to individuals struggling with mental health concerns.
A key aspect of mental health treatment is the individual’s recognition, and ability to verbalize, when they are experiencing mental health concerns. Since there is no blood test for depression, or any other mental or emotional disorder for that matter, diagnoses is a complex process. Psychoeducation helps empower individuals with verbiage specific to what they are experiencing mentally and emotionally, thus enabling them to communicate their mental health concerns in an effective manner. Improved communication regarding an individual's mental health concerns increases the probability that they will access resources and support in a timely manner, ultimately resulting in improved overall prognosis.
Co-occurrence of mental or emotional disorders with physical health issues is significant6. Individuals with depression typically consume two to four times the healthcare resources of other employees7. In addition to the very real financial costs, there also exists a complex interaction between employees mental and physical health outcomes. Depression alone is the leading cause of disability worldwide, and is a major contributor to the global burden of disease8. Further individuals with mental or emotional disorders frequently have other chronic medical illnesses such as asthma, diabetes, and heart disease6. Mental health issues, left untreated, result in worse health outcomes for individuals with chronic illness9.
This interaction between mental and physical health outcomes becomes even more pronounced in wellness programs that do not address mental health. Interventions in these programs may only treat symptoms and not assess for, or address the foundational concern. For example, weight gain is often a symptom of depression, if a depressed employee engages in a weight loss focused intervention through their workplace wellness program they may gain some resources to address their weight. However, if the employee is unable to identify depression as at least a contributing factor to the issue of weight gain they are less likely to be able to resolve the core concern, and are thus more likely to not be able to reap the full benefit of the wellness program. If the employee were exposed to psychoeducation about depression they are more likely to be able to identify their need for additional resources to address the foundational concern.
Stigma towards mental health treatment has decreased, however stigma still presents a barrier for many individuals to seek treatment. Providing psychoeducation in the workplace increases the conversation regarding mental and emotional health, thus reducing stigma. Further providing psychoeducation sets a tone within the organization that mental and emotional health matter; supportive and consistent communication around these issues allows for individuals to be able to address their mental and emotional needs in a meaningful way.
Decreased stigma also increases the likelihood that employees will use the resources available to them. It is estimated that only 1.8% of employees with an EAP benefit available to them utilize it10, which given the incidence of mental and emotional disorders alone shows that this resource is vastly underutilized. Regularly scheduled psychoeducation series provide consistent reminders for employees to utilize resources available to them, such as EAPs, increasing the likelihood that they will utilize them.
Further the impacts of mental health issues rarely reside solely with the individual experiencing the disorder; rather the impacts of mental health issues reach far and wide impacting the individual's family, friends and colleagues. Education is needed not just for the individual experiencing the mental health issue, but those around them as well. This also empowers the community to better recognize mental health symptoms that may be related to greater risk for the individual themselves or the community at large.
Given the high incidence of mental health issues among the American workforce, the complex and inherent interaction between mental, emotional and physical health, as well as the alarmingly low number of individuals utilizing mental health resources, more emphasis needs to be placed on integrating mental health specific interventions within contemporary employee wellness programs. This need can be uniquely met by integrating psychoeducation programing, led by mental health experts, to current wellness programs. In addition to the benefits discussed earlier, there is the additional benefit that by adding in mental health to workplace wellness programs employees are viewed holistically, which has the potential to impact wellness outcomes in a positive way across the board.
References
1 Mattke, S., Liu, H., Caloyeras, J., Huang, C. Y., Van Busum, K. R., Khodyakov, D., & Shier, V. (2013). Workplace Wellness Programs Study: Final Report. Rand Health Quarterly, 3(2), 7.
2 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Results from the 2013 National Survey on Drug Use and Health:Mental Health Findings, NSDUH Series H-49, HHS Publication No. (SMA) 14-4887. Rockville, MD: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2014.
3 Hertz R. & Baker C. The impact of mental disorders on work. Pfizer Outcomes Research. Publication No P0002981. Pfizer; 2002.
4Lukens, E. P., & McFarlane, W. R. (2004). Psychoeducation as evidence-based practice: considerations for practice, research, and policy. Brief treatment and crisis intervention, 4(3), 205.
5 Saliba, Y., & Barden, S. (2017). Counselors and Workplace Wellness Programs: A Conceptual Model.
6 Kessler, R. C., Berglunhd, P., Chiu, W. T., Demler, O., Heeringa, S.,Hiripi, E., Jin, R., Pennell, B., Walters, E. E., Zaslavsky, A., &Zheng,H. The US National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R): Design and Field Procedures. International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research, 2004; 13:69–92.
7 Goldman, H., Frank, R., Burnam, A., Huskamp, H., Ridgely,S.,Normand, S., Young, A...Blansinsky, M. Behavioral Health Insurance Parity for Federal Employees. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006; 354:1378-86.
8 Murray, C. J., Lopez, A. D., & World Health Organization. (1996). The global burden of disease: a comprehensive assessment of mortality and disability from diseases, injuries, and risk factors in 1990 and projected to 2020: summary.
9 Chapman DP, Perry GS, Strine TW. The vital link between chronic disease and depressive disorders. Prev Chronic Dis. 2005 Jan;2(1):A14. [cited 2005 Oct 25]; Available from
10 Azzone, V., McCann, B., Merrick, E. L., Hiatt, D., Hodgkin, D., & Horgan, C. (2009). Workplace Stress, Organizational Factors and EAP Utilization. Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health, 24(3), 344–356.
Author Bio
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Laurie Sharp-Page is a psychotherapist and owner of Flourish Psychotherapy in Cincinnati, Ohio. As a certified wellness counselor, Laurie seeks to help organizations provide quality mental and emotional wellness education to their employees in cost-effective and meaningful ways. Laurie has the mindset that empowering individuals to improve their mental and emotional wellness has a significant positive impact to organizations and the larger community as well.
Visit www.flourish-psychotherapy.comConnect Laurie Sharp-Page |
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