#mentalhealthawareness Archives - MINES and Associates

BIPOC Mental Health Month: What to Know and How to Help

Nic Mckane — Mon, 01 Jul 2024 09:00:31 +0000

Every July marks BIPOC Mental Health Month, a time to focus on the unique challenges and experiences of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color when it comes to mental well-being.

While mental health awareness is crucial year-round, BIPOC communities face additional hurdles in terms of their mental health, from racial trauma to limited access to culturally competent treatment. By openly discussing BIPOC mental health, we can foster a more inclusive and supportive work environment where everyone feels comfortable bringing their whole selves to work.

In today’s important blog, we explore BIPOC mental health and offer actionable steps your organization can take to support BIPOC employees.

Why is it important to talk about BIPOC mental health?

We celebrated Mental Health Awareness Month in May. Some may ask, “Why do we need to celebrate BIPOC Mental Health Month separately when we’ve just had an entire month dedicated to mental health?”

But it’s important to understand that BIPOC — an acronym that includes Black people, Indigenous people, and other people of color — faces unique challenges when it comes to mental health. Although, of course, BIPOC are included when we talk about general mental health awareness in May, it’s also important to highlight the unique experiences that affect BIPOC mental health (and access to treatment) that do not affect white people equally.

In the workplace, it’s important to talk about mental health, and BIPOC mental health specifically, because mental health is something that affects every employee. Long gone are the days in which we were expected to keep work life and the rest of our lives — including mental health issues and racial identity — separate.

Managers now understand that to build a psychologically safe workplace, employees must feel free to bring their whole selves to work without fear of judgment. BIPOC have worked for so long in corporate cultures that required them to change themselves to be accepted. BIPOC employees may feel that mental health issues could further OSTRACIZE them.

By openly talking about and uplifting BIPOC mental health, both during July and throughout the year, you make it clear that BIPOC employees are accepted and welcome in your organization just as they are.

Issues and challenges that affect BIPOC mental health

Mental illness doesn’t discriminate, but unfortunately, we’ve seen that the mental health system – just like every system – does. BIPOC face unique challenges in their daily lives that affect their mental health. In addition, BIPOC experience barriers to mental health treatment that make it more difficult for them to get the help they need and deserve.

Here are some of the unique barriers and challenges that many BIPOC face in terms of mental health.

Racial trauma

BIPOC continues to experience the effects of racial trauma, historical and current. Not only do many BIPOC, including Native/Indigenous Americans and descendants of enslaved people, experience the far-reaching effects of generational trauma — but they also continue to be the target of racial harassment, microaggressions, and institutional racism.

Research shows that this racial trauma has led to symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in many affected BIPOC. PTSD can heighten the risk of other mental health problems, including depression and anxiety.

Cultural mistrust and lack of culturally appropriate providers

As of 2019, 70% of U.S. social workers, and nearly 90% of mental health counselors, were white (according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics). This matters because many BIPOC have a mistrust of the U.S. medical system, and white practitioners in particular – a mistrust that, unfortunately, has been well-earned throughout history.

Language is also a barrier for BIPOC who have immigrated from other countries. Mental health providers who speak languages other than English are scarce. Research shows that limited English proficiency predicts significantly fewer mental health treatment visits.

Therapists, at large, are working toward improving cultural competence and humility, and increased cultural understanding between therapists and their clients has been linked to better treatment engagement. But until the psychological workforce becomes more diverse, this mistrust is unlikely to go away completely.

Lack of insurance

In the United States, a lack of health insurance is also a significant barrier to mental health treatment access for BIPOC. Nearly 20% of Hispanic people, and over 10% of Black people, are uninsured, compared with around 6% of whites. This is likely due to multiple complex factors, including economic disparities.

Without health insurance, BIPOC individuals often don’t have a way of covering the cost of mental health treatment services.

How your organization can support BIPOC mental health & employees

Your organization can take significant actions to help support BIPOC mental health and improve treatment access. Reports show that most individuals access mental health treatment through their jobs. In addition, satisfaction and happiness at work can significantly affect mental health for all employees.

Here’s how to support BIPOC mental health in your organization, not only during July but throughout the year.

Raise awareness

Having open and honest conversations about mental health is one of the cornerstones of creating a supportive and psychologically safe workplace. BIPOC Mental Health Month can serve as a starting point for ongoing discussions throughout the year.

Organize workshops or invite guest speakers to address the specific challenges faced by BIPOC communities. By integrating mental health awareness campaigns and resources into your company culture, you can normalize seeking help and reduce mental health stigma.

Review DEI policies

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies are crucial for building a workplace that embraces BIPOC employees. Review your existing DEI policies with a focus on mental health. Do they include provisions for reasonable accommodations for mental health needs?

Good DEI policies and practices are also important to ensure that BIPOC employees feel emotionally safe at your company. Consider trainings, including unconscious bias training and anti-racism trainings, to ensure managers understand how microaggressions can impact BIPOC’s mental well-being.

Build and encourage employee resource groups

Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) provide a valuable support system for BIPOC employees. These groups can offer a space for shared experiences, fostering a sense of belonging and community.

Encourage the creation of BIPOC-focused ERGs, or support existing ones through funding and resources. Having a strong support system at work can help BIPOC employees feel safer and mentally well.

Ensure good mental health benefits

Helpful and accessible mental health benefits are essential for supporting BIPOC mental health as well as the mental health of all employees.

Review your current health insurance plan to ensure it provides adequate coverage for mental health services. Consider offering options with lower deductibles or copays for mental health treatment. Including Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) is also important. EAPs offer confidential counseling and resources, and can play a key role in helping BIPOC employees find culturally competent care and navigate the complexities of the healthcare system.

MINES offers a comprehensive workplace mental health solution that provides culturally competent care for all of your employees.

To your wellbeing,

The MINES Team

The post BIPOC Mental Health Month: What to Know and How to Help appeared first on MINES and Associates.

Mental Health Awareness Month: Best Everyday Tips to Support Your Mental Health

Nic Mckane — Mon, 15 May 2023 15:00:00 +0000

Happy Mental Health Awareness Month! At MINES & Associates, we believe that mental health isn’t just about preventing and treating mental illness (although this, of course, is important!). True mental health is about more than just the absence of illness. It’s about thriving and being at your best in terms of your mental well-being.

Even if you haven’t been diagnosed with a mental health condition like depression or anxiety, are you at your best mentally? How do you take care of your mental health on an everyday basis?

You don’t need to – and shouldn’t – wait for a mental health crisis to happen before you start taking care of your mental well-being. Here are some research-backed tips for your mental health from your MINES team that you can use all the time, not only when you’re having a problem with your mental health. MINES & Associates offers mental health training courses and services to help elevate your organization’s culture and viability.

Get in touch with your feelings

One thing you can do to help support your mental health to prevent problems from arising is to learn how to notice, and manage, your emotions. So many of us never learned this skill (although many schools are now teaching it through social-emotional learning lessons). But the good news is that it’s never too late; even as an adult, practicing this skill regularly can lead to enormous benefits.

The next time you’re feeling upset about something, stop to notice it. Don’t sweep it under the rug or try to suppress it. Label the emotion – yes, you’re feeling bad, but what else? For example, are you feeling lonely, guilty, angry, or grieving? Put a name to it.

Next, learn how to manage these emotions in healthy ways. When you mindfully notice and put a name to emotions, you are less likely to turn to your “auto-pilot” coping mechanisms that may be unhealthy (like reaching for a drink, for example). How would you like to manage these feelings? What would truly be helpful at this moment?

The team at MINES & Associates offers mental health services and training courses to bolster emotional health across organizations. Contact us to learn more.

Get regular exercise

You’ve probably heard it before, but that’s because it’s true: getting regular physical activity is one of the best things you can do for your overall health, including your mental health. Research shows that people who exercise regularly are less likely to experience depression, anxiety, and stress. Exercise can also help you sleep better, which comes with its own large set of mental health benefits (see below!).

We all know that exercise is good for us, but it’s easier said than done to get yourself to the gym. The good news is that exercise can look many different ways. If you don’t enjoy going to the gym, there’s no need to force yourself – gardening, dancing, walking your dog, swimming, hiking, and more are all forms of effective exercise.

The important thing is to get your heart rate up on a regular basis. Experts recommend getting at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity every week.

If you’re interested in alternative strategies than regular exercise, the team at MINES & Associates offers mental health services and training courses – contact us to learn more.

Get better sleep

As we just mentioned, getting enough restful sleep every night does wonders for your mental health. Experts recommend that healthy adults get between 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night. But it’s important that these are restful sleep hours; tossing and turning for 9 hours won’t do much good (although it’s better than nothing).

Sleep allows all of your organs to rest, including your brain. Not only that, but getting enough sleep is essential for every level of your body’s functioning – molecular functioning, cognitive functioning, energy, and more.

It’s easy to sacrifice sleep in order to get everything done. But think twice the next time you’re tempted to stay up late to catch up on work. That extra hour could be the difference between a well-functioning brain and an exhausted one.

Go outside more

Nature lovers rejoice: Research shows that spending time outside in green areas is very beneficial for our mental health.

Spending time in nature can calm you and reduce anxiety. It can make you feel more hopeful about your life and the world. Studies have found that spending time in nature is an effective intervention for anxiety and depression.

You don’t need to have a National Park in your backyard to benefit from nature. Spending time in any green area will do. Is there a small park in your neighborhood? Can you find a plant or a tree to connect with?

You can practice connecting to the natural world wherever you are. Notice the sights, smells, sounds, and textures around you. What can you connect to the natural world? For example, maybe you hear a bird singing or can see the green of the grass.

The team at MINES & Associates also offers mental health services and mental health training courses to compliment the strategy of getting outside more. Contact us to learn more.

Be kind

Research shows that people who practice kindness are more likely to be happier and less stressed. In one famous study, people were asked to practice random acts of kindness over a period of time. The study found that these people experienced numerous benefits including higher well-being, more happiness, and even lower blood pressure.

The best part is that you don’t need anything at all to start practicing kindness. It doesn’t matter what the acts of kindness are – all that matters is that you do something or someone else with no expectation of anything in return. For example, you can write a thank you note to a friend for their support or do a favor for a colleague.

After you do an act of kindness, notice how it feels.

Consider counseling

We tend to think of counseling as something we do when our mental health is already in trouble. For example, you might talk to a mental health therapist when experiencing symptoms of anxiety, or talk to a grief counselor when you’ve lost someone you love.

But you don’t need to wait for something to go wrong in life to benefit from counseling. Many people see a counselor simply to work on their self-esteem, get to know themselves on a deeper level or explore how their past experiences have affected them. They might see a counselor to talk about how to manage stress from work better, or how to improve their relationships.

Counseling is a great way to address your mental health before problems arise. And it’s a service you might have free access to if you’re a member of MINES’ Employee Assistance Program. We offer free and confidential counseling 24/7. Contact the team at MINES & Associates to learn more about our mental health services and mental health training courses.

Get in touch with us to learn more about the mental health benefits services that you have access to!

To your wellbeing,

The MINES Team

The post Mental Health Awareness Month: Best Everyday Tips to Support Your Mental Health appeared first on MINES and Associates.

Stress Awareness Month: Managing Your Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn Response

Nic Mckane — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 15:17:38 +0000

It’s Stress Awareness Month, and we here at MINES & Associates are reflecting a lot upon stress and the insidious ways in which it shows up in our lives.

Stress is normal – and in many ways, unpreventable. We will all feel stressed at some point in our lives. And while this may be true, that doesn’t mean that we should do nothing and let stress build up until it becomes unmanageable.

To kick off Stress Awareness Month, let’s take a deep dive into what, exactly, stress is, the truth behind the fight-flight-freeze-fawn response, and what the research says about lowering your stress levels. Mines & Associates offers mindfulness programs that can help with stress.

What is stress?

We mostly talk about stress as a negative thing – we might be worried about the health impacts of stress or try to manage our stress in healthy ways. In reality, stress isn’t always a negative thing – but it can definitely have negative impacts, especially when it becomes chronic.

Stress is the body’s natural response to challenges. Humans feel stress when they are faced with something that feels difficult. For example, you might feel stress when you’re on a time crunch for a work project or before you go on a first date. Some physical experiences, like going through surgery, may automatically cause your body to respond with stress. Exploring our mindfulness programs can also help with the body’s natural response to stress.

The stress response is started by your autonomic nervous system – specifically by your sympathetic nervous system. When you’re faced with a challenging situation, your nervous system kicks in the stress response, which causes important changes in your body. Some of these change include:

- Your heart beats faster and harder to get more blood flow to your muscles and limbs

- You start breathing faster

- Certain hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are released

- Your blood vessels constrict

- Your muscles contract to get ready to move or fight

- Your immune system is suppressed (as this isn’t necessary for immediate survival)

- Other bodily functions that aren’t necessary for immediate survival, like digestion and reproductive functions, are suppressed

Evolutionarily, these changes that happen during stress helped humans to overcome challenges. For example, when faced with a predator, we may have needed more blood flow to our muscles in order to either fight the predator off or run away from it.

Even today, stress helps us to get through challenges. For example, the hormones released during the stress response might give us enough energy to meet a tight deadline.

The health consequences of chronic stress

So stress, in and of itself, isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The problem arises when stress becomes long-term, or chronic. Our bodies aren’t designed to have the stress response activated all the time. And research has linked chronic stress to many health consequences, including:

- High blood pressure

- Other cardiovascular problems like increased risk of stroke and heart failure

- Weakened immune system

- Gastrointestinal problems like stomach ulcers, acid reflux, and irritable bowel syndrome

- Chronic pain and muscle tension

- Weight gain and obesity

- Problems sleeping

- Substance abuse

- Increased risk of mental health conditions like depression and anxiety

What is the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response?

You might have heard of “fight or flight,” which is another way to describe having your stress response activated. When you’re under stress, you can’t make responsible or healthy decisions. Historically, our ancestors may have felt the need to fight – go on the offensive and beat the predator or stressor – or flee (flight) – run away from the stressor.

We now know that fight and flight aren’t the only two stress responses. Some people freeze when they’re under stress. They may feel so frightened that they aren’t able to act at all.

More recently, experts have defined a fourth type of stress response – fawn. Some people may try to appease the “predator” as a way to cope with it.

The fight/flight/freeze/fawn response comes up when we’re under acute stress. For example, if we are being yelled at by a boss, a child jumps out in front of our car, our fight/flight/freeze/fawn response might kick in. This response is often automatic – we may not be able to make reasonable decisions while we’re in fight/flight/freeze/fawn. Be sure to contact Mines & Associates to learn about our mindfulness programs to address these types of response.

Here are some examples of what the fight/flight/freeze/fawn response could look like in today’s world.

Examples of the fight response

- Becoming aggressive or argumentative

- Getting into fights with loved ones

- Getting road rage

- Raising your voice instead of calmly talking it out

- Making threats

- Insulting others

- Becoming confrontational

- Having an emotional outbursts

- Directly confronting the stressor (such as fighting off a barking dog)

Examples of the flight response

- Avoiding confrontation

- Calling in “sick” to avoid dealing with something stressful

- Quitting your job when you feel stressed

- Leaving a relationship

- Ignoring emails and calls

- Fleeing dangerous places to ensure their safety

- Walking away from difficult conversations

- Delegating tasks that they feel are “too much” for them

Examples of the freeze response

- Deciding to say nothing rather than speak up

- Postponing important decisions or allowing others to make them for you

- Feeling physically immobilized when confronted with a danger (like a barking dog)

- Becoming completely quiet and numb during confrontation

- Zoning out during difficult conversations

- Feeling frozen and incompetent when responsible for difficult tasks

- Staying frozen and doing nothing after a trauma (like a car accident) rather than seeking medical care or taking action

- Allowing important deadlines to pass because they have procrastinated

Examples of the fawn response

- Bringing your boss coffee after they have given you negative feedback

- Working extra hard to make your boss happy when you feel that they are upset with you

- Complimenting or being extra sweet toward your partner when you are having an argument

- Taking on extra work to be seen as a team player.

- Over-apologizing for things that aren’t your fault

- Putting others’ needs above your own

- Trying to act subservient to appease someone you find dangerous or threatening

- Verbally agreeing with someone even if you don’t truly agree with them

Every person has a different response to stress, and you may not fit neatly into one of these categories. The important thing is to recognize when you’re acting out of your stress response and to find ways to manage stress in healthier ways.

How to effectively manage your stress levels

Again – stress, in itself, isn’t a bad thing. But if your stress levels begin to get too high, or if you notice that you’re under stress more often than not, then it’s important to take action and find ways to feel more relaxed.

Different stress management techniques work for different people. For example, some people may like to listen to music, while others may enjoy talking with their friends. But try to remember that stress is an automatic biological response. So a large part of managing your stress effectively has to do with dealing with it on that biological level. Our mindfulness programs can help manage stress as well – be sure to contact our team to learn more.

Here are some evidence-based ways to bring stress down.

Diaphragmatic or deep breathing

One of the biggest changes that happens in your body when your stress response is activated is that your breathing becomes faster and more shallow. You can counteract this by regularly practicing deep or diaphragmatic breathing techniques. This directly calms your stress response by activating the parasympathetic nervous system and letting your body know it’s okay to relax.

One popular breathing technique is the 4-7-8 breathing exercise. First, breathe in for 4 counts through your nose. Get the air deep into the bottom of your belly. Then, hold your breath in for 7 counts, and finally, release the air slowly for 8 counts.

Progressive muscle relaxation

Progressive muscle relaxation, or PMR, is another effective way to kick your parasympathetic nervous system into gear. It’s also a way to relieve muscle tension that often comes along with stress. There is a large body of evidence that suggests PMR is very effective for lowering stress levels.

To practice PMR, find a comfortable seated or lying down position. Starting at the top of your head, tense and then release groups of muscles. First, you might tense all of the muscles in your face. Squeeze your eyes shut, clench your jaw, and crunch your nose with as much strength as you can without causing yourself pain. After several seconds, release all of the tension. Breathe in and out.

Work your way down your body, tensing and then relaxing each muscle group – your neck and shoulders, arms, abdomen, and so on.

Get into nature

Have you noticed that you feel more relaxed when you’re near an ocean or another body of water? Or perhaps in the middle of a quiet forest? There is actually research behind this – studies have found that people who spend more time in nature are less likely to be stressed and anxious.

Spend as much time as you can outdoors. If you don’t have a large natural space where you live, try to at least go for walks outside and pay close attention to the natural sights, sounds, and smells that you experience.

Prevent stress build-up

On top of these ways to calm your stress response when it’s already activated, you can also learn how to manage stressors (things that cause you stress) so that your stress levels never become chronic to begin with. For example, many people work on learning how to manage their time so that they don’t become overwhelmed with tasks. You might practice mindfulness to become more conscious of the signs that you’re under high stress.

Living a healthy lifestyle by sleeping well, eating nutritious meals, and exercising regularly can also be helpful.

Seek professional support

Working with a counselor can also give you new tools to manage stress in healthy ways. With your MINES & Associates Employee Assistance Program, you have access to 24/7 free and confidential counseling. Whether you’re buried under chronic stress or simply want to learn ways to manage it before it gets out of control, give us a call to learn about our mindfulness programs.

To Your Wellbeing,

The MINES Team

The post Stress Awareness Month: Managing Your Fight/Flight/Freeze/Fawn Response appeared first on MINES and Associates.

Foster Families and Mental Health

Nic Mckane — Mon, 21 May 2018 16:39:29 +0000

Happy National Foster Care Month

Several important subjects are tackled in the month of May. Two of them I will be addressing here. May marks National Foster Care Month and Mental Health Awareness Month. Those that work within the foster system are well aware of the issues and concerns around mental health in this subset. Between the abandonment that the majority of these kids feel, to the oversaturation of kids in the system and lack of foster families, all parties are susceptible lack of resources, energy, resilience, and understanding about how to handle the emotional situations that are bound to happen.

Personal Perspective on Foster Care

My husband and I have been working with foster families for five years. Since we do not have kids of our own, we have found a way to work with a group of kids that are severely in need of love, understanding, patience, and support. We work with those who have their own biological kids and yet have opened their home to others in need. We have found that these foster parents lack the support and sometimes understanding of how to give themselves self-care or how to support the emotional needs of the kids in their home. The first family we started working with had a set of siblings who brought forth a lot of complications, concerns, and opened their eyes to how little they really were prepared for this change in their lives. This brought into focus various ways how we can help families traverse this experience.

Examples of Mental Health Concerns within the Foster Family

Lack of Basic Emotional Intelligence

Emotional Intelligence comes in many forms and levels of understanding. Just type in that term and thousands of articles will come up on it and how you can improve your “emotional intelligence.” Most people have some level of understanding emotions and how to differentiate how between various emotions and can recognize those emotions in others. However, most children coming into the foster care system do not understand mad, sad, glad, and the variations that come from these basic feelings. They can’t describe how they feel, and the most can’t express their feelings without throwing a tantrum as that was the only way they could get attention at home.

Foster parents often are uncertain the best way to deal with the lack of emotional understanding of the foster kids. Another dynamic happens when the foster children leave the foster home to be reunited with their biological family. Foster families aren’t often shown how to express their feelings around this with their own kids or their foster children. Teaching families that grief is natural and it is ok to feel various emotions is vital and sorely lacking in my opinion. I think that the movie, InsideOut, was a blessing as we use those characters all the time when we are teaching parents and kids how to express different emotions and talk to each other about what they are feeling in a way that the whole family can understand.

Consequences around Lack of Information

We worked with a family who was fostering 3 kids between the ages of 7-11. The oldest witnessed horrible things his younger siblings went through with trusted family members. Due to this, this child’s emotional age was stunted at 5 years old. The 11-year-old also came from another family that had placed this child on psychotropic drugs to help control their mood swings and poor sleeping habits. This medication variant added another layer that the foster family was unprepared for and was unsure the best action-whether the child should stay in the home or not. The sibling group had an unspoken history and acted as a team against the foster family. These siblings struggled to share anything in therapy and since foster parents do not generally have the rights to hear about what happens in therapy, there was a wall between these kids and the foster family.

The foster family ended up making the hard decision to have the 11-year-old leave their home, but they kept the other two. Due to the lack of knowledge of what happened and the limited access to Medicare therapists, the whole family suffered. The remaining foster kids grieved losing their sibling, and the foster parents were unsure if they made the right decision or to remove the child.

The Effects of Extreme Emotional Turmoil

Another case we have seen revolves around a 12-year-old child went to a home with other kids in it. This child had been in the foster system for 10 years and had a history of being moved around the system, along with going through the adoption process. This child was on ten different medications and labeled as ODD, RAD, and ADHD. Although the system readily accepted these medications and diagnoses, the foster system restricted access to therapy, support at school, and tools to help this child process their past. This began a 1.5-year cycle of the child threatening suicide, attempting suicide, and threatening the other kids in the home.

Once theft and continual lying was added to the mix, the foster parents had to make the difficult decision to remove this child from the home. The bio-children in the home were devastated, angry, confused, and totally unprepared on how to handle this turmoil. The foster parents struggled with guilt, grief, and burn out between the drawn-out hospital stays, the having to drop everything, and the effort to have this not affect the other children in the home. The relief they felt when the child wasn’t in the home made them feel guilty, the emotions of seeing what he put himself through strained their relationship about how to handle it, and the destruction and stealing of property put them in a difficult situation of deciding what was best for the child and the family. Again, lack of training by the foster system or support to the whole family system around resilience, becoming trauma-informed, and how to give yourself a break as parents was all very hard to witness.

The Need for Training in Foster Families

Although the foster system has access to legal, financial, medical, educational, and mental health services, generally foster parents aren’t told how to access these. In the age of focusing on emotional resilience and work/life balance, these foster families aren’t taught how to do this within the confines of having foster kids. We need to find ways to support our foster families better and give them better access to mental healthcare for the whole family. We need to find ways to give them access to training on emotional resilience and how to do self-care.

Emotional Resiliency

You don’t get to go home and escape the stressors when you are a foster family. You don’t get to take time off when you need it to restore your energy. It is a 24/7 job and unless you have others who tell you to pace yourself or offer you resources, you will burnout as a foster parent. We see this in all the horrible stories of the poor conditions of foster homes or the additional trauma and lack of supportive care the foster children receive in some foster homes. We need to teach those who are foster families (yes the bio-children and foster children too) about resiliency and how to thrive through whatever life throws at you. Here is a great resource around resilience strategies. Also, if you are a MINES client, you have access to a great online resilience program.

Compassion Fatigue/Secondary Trauma/Vicarious Trauma/Burnout

When a child is suicidal or has severe attachment issues, it can be draining to deal with the continual manipulation or the dynamics these mental health conditions can bring into a home and it is easy for families to experience compassion fatigue. When a child finally breaks down and expresses they don’t know how to read and that is why they ditch school or when they share their story of seeing their family die in a fire, foster families need to learn how to recognize secondary or vicarious trauma as they take these stories to heart and want to help these kids out. When the school system says the child doesn’t qualify for assistance or the medical system says the child has maxed out their allotted therapy sessions and hospital stays for the year, burnout can be high. By recognizing these terms and having others close to you keep an eye out for the symptoms, foster families can prepare themselves for the inevitable.

Self-Care

The biggest thing we see lacking is self-care amongst foster parents. Respite Care is an important option for all foster families to take advantage of. Some don’t want to use the respite system as it disrupts the schedule of the foster children and family in general. Some don’t use it as then they still have their bio-children who want their undivided attention while the other children are out of the house. Some use it but don’t know what to do with their time once the children are temporarily out of the home. The web has some great resources on ways to do self-care and there are plenty of articles on it. Two of the easiest things to do is to practice mindfulness and taking time to do things for yourself/loving yourself.

What can you do?

As an Outsider

If you know someone who is a foster parent, thank them. Offer to babysit the whole crew for an evening so they can go have a night out. Offer to make them dinner one night. See if they are connected to a foster support group, and if they aren’t, offer them a list of some, and even offer to go with them. We all need to talk to someone who understands what you are going through. Or help do laundry- extra kids means extra laundry and less time for family time.

And the same goes for the foster kids. Some of these kids have been through literal hell. Some have been abused in ways they don’t even recognize. Some struggle with why they are being removed and whether or not they are loved. The best thing you can do is find ways to connect and support these kids. It isn’t their fault their parents are unable to have them. Regardless of their behaviors or struggles, there is something you can do for them- show them unconditional kindness and love. If they are involved in sports, go see their games. If they are selling chocolate for school, buy some. Find ways to give foster kids a special experience or memory. One thing we do is take them to an ethnic grocery store and let them try various fruits and foods that they have never been exposed to. If all of us can share a bit of ourselves with these kids, then these kids have a better chance of thriving wherever they end up. This website is a great resource and there are plenty of other blogs and stories how you can help those who are in the foster care system. As an outsider, be that person foster kids can come to, feel loved, and help them find good outlets for their anger, frustration, and hurt.

As a Foster Care Provider

If you have time and can become a respite provider, do. If you become a foster parent, take time for self-care, take time to do training and prepare yourself, and consider all the things that can come along with a child before you make the commitment. If you are interested in being a CASA or a GAL, do the research and use your skills. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister or with another support type groups to help kids through the trauma and struggles of growing up without a bio-family or changing home situations. In whatever function you are in, find a support group, get connected with others, and give yourself a break when you falter or struggle. Be prepared to struggle and have a good support team that you see regularly to help you recognize when you start to show signs of secondary trauma or compassion fatigue as it will happen.

Personally, even though we do make sure that we take care of ourselves and our needs so that we don’t suffer from burnout/compassion fatigue, we have found at times to have certain memories burned into our brains and have experienced secondary trauma. We have seen a child draw a dead tree because trees don’t deserve to live and a house with a danger room. We have seen babies stagnate developmentally due to what their mother did while they were pregnant. We have been with families as they received the news of what happened in the biological home and watch it tear them apart. Through it all, we have had to come up with strategies to move past these tragic events and not let those traumatic memories affect our daily lives or interactions with kids.

Final Thoughts

Not all foster care agencies falter when it comes time to prepare foster families and not all foster kids suffer severe mental health conditions. Not all stories are tragic or heartbreaking. We have seen parents truly change their lifestyle or other relatives step up and bring the family back together. Some of these stories are wonderful and heart-warming. However, not all re-unifications result in a positive outcome. Regardless of what you do or how you choose to interact with the foster care system, resiliency, training, and self-care are important.

If you are financially able to support agencies or support groups, please do. There are some great agencies out there are trying to supply the resources needed for foster children and foster families. If you are able to provide free trainings or webinars, find a group to do that for.

MINES would be happy to talk to you more about how you can support your employees who may be foster parents and how EAP services can assist them through the journey they have decided to take. If you are interested in learning more about MINES EAP and PPO program, feel free to contact us at 1-800-873-7138 or at info@minesandassociates.com.

To Your Wellbeing,

Raena Chatwin

The MINES Team

References and Suggested Reading

Joanne Riebschleger, Angelique Day & Amy Damashek (2015) Foster Care Youth Share Stories of Trauma Before, During, and After Placement: Youth Voices for Building Trauma-Informed Systems of Care, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 24:4, 339-360, DOI: 10.1080/10926771.2015.1009603

Barbell, K., Wright, L. (2001). Family Foster Care in the Next Century. New York: Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9781351320474

Erum Nadeem, PhD, Jill Waterman, PhD, Jared Foster, PhD, Emilie Paczkowski, PhD, Thomas R. Belin, PhD, and Jeanne Miranda, PhD. (2016) Long-Term Effects of Pre-Placement Risk Factors on Children’s Psychological Symptoms and Parenting Stress Among Families Adopting Children From Foster Care . Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 25:2, 67 – 81, https://doi.org/10.1177/1063426615621050

Moira A. Szilagyi, David S. Rosen, David Rubin, Sarah Zlotnik. Health Care Issues for Children and Adolescents in Foster Care and Kinship Care. The Council on Foster Care, Adoption, And Kinship Care, The Committee On Adolescence And The Council On Early Childhood Pediatrics, Oct 2015, 136 (4) e1142-e1166; DOI: 10.1542/peds.2015-2656 https://goo.gl/inDxcD

Great Websites to check out

http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/mental-health-and-foster-care.aspx

https://www.childwelfare.gov/fostercaremonth/resources/parents/

http://nfpaonline.org/foster

http://www.nationalfostercare.org/national-foster-care-month.html

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