Tell us: What do you do to keep your mental health in check?

• Practice daily mindfulness
• Get outside as much as possible
• Intentionally nourish my mind, body, and soul
• Take regular screen breaks
• Schedule in (and protect) my lunch breaks
• Regularly attend therapy
• Take advantage of free services through employee benefits
• Coordinate family/friends group outings

How does your organization support your mental health needs?

• My protected calendar break time is respected
• We have access to free/low cost mental health services through EAP
• My supervisor and our HR staff are supportive and prioritize prevention
• My organization has offered webinars and resources regarding Mental Health
• My team created self-care plans

What do you wish more people understood about mental health in the OST profession?

• There is still a stigma around taking personal time off in charitable work. We have to give ourselves the love and care we deserve in order to show the same for the youth in our program
• I wish that more people understood the signs of burn-out and compassion fatigue, as they differ depending on intersectional identity markers as varied access to resources
• We as an organization need to encourage activities and provide resources for employees to participate so people have a better understanding that mental health care is for EVERYONE - not just the people overtly struggling