Devereux launches initiative to help employees build, nurture resilience

At Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health, the health and wellness of our employees is of the utmost importance, and we are committed to ensuring our team members feel protected and supported every day.

To help staff thrive – and be successful in their roles – Devereux is launching an adult resilience initiative that will provide employees with the necessary tools and resources to cope with the adversity and stress of daily life.

“We recognize our talented team members have tremendous responsibilities, ensuring our programs and services are of the highest quality, and that the individuals and families in our care are treated with respect, dignity, kindness and compassion,” said Devereux Senior Vice President and Chief Clinical/Medical Officer Yolanda Graham, M.D. “This initiative will help our employees build and nurture their resilience, so they can continue to make meaningful and positive differences in the lives of those we serve.”

About Devereux’s adult resilience initiative …

This program is currently focused on new hires and all supervisors. Look below to learn more about how we are helping our employees strengthen their social and emotional health and well-being.

New hires: As part of the onboarding process, all new Devereux employees will complete an online learning course about adult resilience. The course – “Employee well-being: Resilience and the importance of self-care” – was developed by the Devereux Center for Resilient Children (DCRC) and focuses on prioritizing employee mental health. These team members also will be encouraged to complete the DCRCs “Devereux Adult Resilience Survey” (DARS), a reflective checklist that provides information about personal strengths. In addition, these staff members will receive the book – “Building Your Bounce: Simple Strategies for a Resilient You,” which includes resilience-building activities, as well as practical and effective strategies for managing stress.
Supervisors: Devereux’s supervisors, including all leaders, will complete a similar course – “Resilience: Supervisory role in promoting staff well-being” – to help them create a work culture that embraces self-care. These team members also will be encouraged to complete the DARS, as well as a companion tool designed by the DCRC specifically for supervisors, called the “Devereux Resilient Leadership Survey” (DERLS). The DARS and the DERLS are aligned so supervisors are able to make a connection between individual, personal resilience-building behaviors, and how their leadership style can positively affect the resilience of their team.

To reinforce the importance of resilience, Devereux is also providing resilience-building resources for all team members.

**Additional resources for all adults**

Everyone faces adversity and challenges at some point in life, and Devereux wants to help. The DCRC team offers valuable resources (many are free!) and professional development opportunities for all adults that focus on resilience and overall wellness.

Devereux Adult Resilience Survey (DARS): Helps adults gain insights into four key areas: 1) relationships; 2) internal beliefs; 3) initiative; and 4) self-control.
Devereux Resilient Leadership Survey (DERLS): Shows how your leadership style can positively affect the resilience of your team/others.
CAREgiving Checklist for Families: Promotes positive parenting practices.
Webinar: Rubber Bands and Umbrellas: Offers five practical strategies to help parents understand risk factors, protective factors and resilience.
Webinar: “Building Your Bounce:” Helps adults explore ways to “build your bounce” through simple, easy-to-use strategies.
Webinar: “Key Strategies to Resilient Leadership: Helps adults reflect on what it means to be a resilient leader and how to build the bounce (resilience) of staff.

“We encourage adults to take advantage of these free resources that reinforce the idea that self-care is not selfish, but rather an essential part of leading a healthy and happy life,” said DCRC Director Susan Damico.

“We often use the analogy of a ‘pitcher’ (the adult) needing to pour into ‘cups’ (the children) to describe how important it is for adults to be healthy so they can better support the children in their lives,” Damico explained. “When a pitcher is full (adults are healthy), the cups can be filled with what they need (love, patience, kindness). When the pitcher is empty (adults are unhealthy), the cups do not get filled (children do not receive what they need to be socially and emotionally healthy). In this analogy, the ‘wells’ (the leaders) fill the pitchers (adults need someone they can turn to for extra support). Remember, you cannot pour from an empty pitcher. Our tools and resources emphasize the importance of taking time each and every day to reflect on your own health and well-being and focus on self-care – to ensure your pitcher always remains full.”

Learn more about the Devereux Center for Resilient Children, and learn more about Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health.

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