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Mental Health in the Workplace

World Mental Health Day (WMHD), observed each year on October 10th, aims to “promote the advancement of mental health awareness, prevention of mental disorders, advocacy, and best practice recovery focused interventions worldwide.” 

The theme for this year’s WMHD is “It is time to Prioritize Mental Health in the Workplace.”

Workplace mental health is a critically important aspect of overall well-being for employees. It encompasses the emotional, psychological, and social well-being of individuals at work, and plays a significant role in productivity, engagement, and job satisfaction. Prioritizing workplace mental health not only benefits employees, but also contributes to a positive organizational climate and overall success. Workplace mental health is especially crucial for healthcare workers, who often face unique stressors and challenges in their roles. Providing support, resources, and training on mental health awareness and self-care can make a significant difference in promoting resilience and well-being among healthcare professionals.

Faculty across our department are involved in providing resources related to workplace mental health and well-being for employees within our Stanford community and beyond, as well as research and innovation in this area. On this WMHD, we are pleased to shine a spotlight on their work.

WellMD & WellPhD Program

Faculty and staff in the department collaborate with the WellMD & WellPhD Program, which focuses on creating cultures and practices that reduce burnout and drive professional fulfillment - not only at Stanford, but also on advancing the field globally. Mickey Trockel, MD, PhD, serves as the Program’s Director of Evidence Based Innovation, Maryam Makowski, PhD, serves as the Associate Director of Scholarship and Health Promotion, and Grace Gengoux, PhD, serves as our Department Well-Being Director.

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Stanford WellConnect

For more than a decade, this confidential program has been supporting the mental health of medical trainees, physicians, and advance practice providers at Stanford Health Care and benefits-eligible faculty in Stanford's School of Medicine. The WellConnect team provides therapy, medication management, and short-term coaching to support work-life integration, mitigate the negative impact of work on personal relationships, address burnout, self-valuation, nutrition, and other areas of concern.

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Pause a Moment

“Pause a Moment” (PAM) is an educational platform available online to anyone interested in exploring the tools and information provided. PAM was designed to improve emotional well-being of healthcare workers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing opportunities to learn and practice tools aimed towards cultivating effective coping, self-care, and resilience-building strategies, among others. PAM was developed by Stanford University School of Medicine faculty, led by Debra Kaysen, PhD, and Shannon Wiltsey Stirman, PhD, working with faculty and students from Stanford, the University of Michigan, Palo Alto University, and Columbia University in collaboration with healthcare workers.

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Professional Well-Being: Enhancing Wellness Among Psychiatrists, Psychologists, and Mental Health Clinicians

Although data exist to support the notion that physician self-care is correlated with patient care, the culture of medicine has traditionally valued the ideals of self-sacrifice and perfectionism—often to the detriment of clinicians themselves. This book—the result of a collaboration by several psychologists and psychiatrists in the School of Medicine at Stanford University, posits a new culture, one that is supportive of the health and well-being of health care professionals and the patients and populations they serve. Professional Well-Being was written by Grace Gengoux, PhD, BCBA-D, Sanno Zack, PhD, Jennifer Derenne, MD, Athena Robinson, PhD, Laura Dunn, MD, and Laura Roberts, MD, MA.

Department Well-being Advisory Committee

Led by Dr. Grace Gengoux and Dr. Mickey Trockel, our department’s standing Well-being Advisory Committee is engaged in many efforts to support the health, belonging, and wellness of our staff, trainees, and faculty. They have piloted several efforts to improve clinician well-being over the last couple of years, including:

  • Implementing strategies to improve cross-coverage systems to allow faculty to take time off from work without the need self-cover, and to improve documentation efficiency to reduce time spent charting on nights and weekends
  • Addressing issues related to complexity of caseload, isolation, and limited access to clinical consultation by encouraging faculty engagement in department-supported, faculty-led peer consultation groups
  • Developing leadership behaviors (e.g., holding career development conversations, encouraging suggestions for improvement, providing feedback and coaching, communication skills) that are considered key drivers of a department’s culture of wellness

Selected Publications

For those interested in learning more about the related research, we have included a selection of recent scholarly publications co-authored by faculty in our department focusing on workplace mental health, burnout, and related topics. These publications explore various aspects of mental health for physicians and other healthcare providers, strategies for preventing burnout, and interventions to promote well-being among employees.

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Learn more about World Mental Health Day from the World Federation for Mental Health