Mental Health and Resilience for Healthcare Workers

This course will help institutions and individuals better manage the mental health challenges of being a healthcare worker. Healthcare providers such as the University Health Network (UHN) address the mental health needs of their staff through several initiatives intended to help build resilience and to provide respite from the demands of their work. This was critical during the pandemic but, of course, healthcare workers encounter high levels of stress even without a pandemic. The primary purpose of this course was to document and explain lessons learned with the hopes of informing healthcare institutions and healthcare workers about effective strategies and why they work. Dr. Heather Gordon will highlight strategies she has employed within the UHN during the pandemic, and Professor Steve Joordens will discuss the psychology underlying these interventions.