key: cord-0934173-qfacmyn5 authors: Ingoglia, Chuck title: Committing to Resilience in Tough Times date: 2022-05-20 journal: J Behav Health Serv Res DOI: 10.1007/s11414-022-09802-7 sha: bd1a89c226d69c50763931c91f2a5b6aba960223 doc_id: 934173 cord_uid: qfacmyn5 nan A survey of the National Council's membership by Morning Call, conducted in September 2021, 4 confirmed a surge in demand for our services and its corresponding effect on staff. More than three-quarters of members (78%) said that demand for their organization's services increased over the previous three months and a full 97%, nearly all our members, reported that it was difficult to recruit employees citing a lack of qualified applicants and burnout from COVID-19. One respondent summarized it in their response: "Caseloads are too high and supervision loads are too large. People are overwhelmed and overworked, leading to more turnover and burnout". 5 Far from being immune from the consequences of stress, health care workers struggle with increased stressors. In addition to caring for those in need, staff are worried about their jobs, how to care for their children, and if they or their family members will get sick. Building resilience in the workforce is key to adapting to the challenges ahead. The good news is there is an opportunity in this crisis. The Trauma-informed, Resilience-oriented Care (TIROC) Training and Consulting Practice area 6 has helped organizations in primary care, mental health and substance use treatment, schools, community services, managed care, and government settings achieve the quadruple aim of (1) enhancing the patient experience; (2) improving population health; (3) reducing costs; and (4) enhancing the work life of their staff. An expert team of thought leaders guide organizations as they implement multi-faceted initiatives focused on the foundation of TIROC to apply complex strategies that impact social needs and access to care. Recognizing that trauma is far-reaching in both scope and effect, the National Council partners with organizational leaders and other key stakeholders to shape the conversation and advance the direction of the field. With nationally recognized thought leaders like Kaiser Permanente, we compile and infuse learning from our national reach to initiate research, support practice improvement initiatives, and create actionable tools to facilitate organizational implementation. Implementing trauma-informed approaches within primary care marks a fundamental shift in care delivery that supports improved utilization of services, improved patient outcomes, increased staff satisfaction, and healthier work environments. There are effective strategies primary care providers can implement to improve the health and resiliency of individuals with histories of trauma resulting in better patient and provider outcomes. The Trauma-Informed Care Primary Care: Fostering Resilience and Recovery initiative developed, tested, disseminated, and scaled a field-informed change package 7 to provide information, action steps, and tools to guide implementation of a trauma-informed primary care approach. We also recognize that the concept of resilience is not confined to those in health care professions; we can all make contributions to our own mental well-being and of those around us. With Mental Health First Aid, 8 we empower everyone to #BeTheDifference with training that provides the tools to assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis, learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, and how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. This issue of JBHS&R has an excellent paper about building resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic. 9 The article is a first-hand description of one organization's barriers, strategies, and lessons learned that resonates with me, and I hope it will with you, as well. Earlier in this reflection, I wrote that resilience touches everything we do at the National Council, and it truly does. As you read the breadth of research and experiences included in this issue of JBHS&R, from mental health among service members and veterans with disabilities 10 to implementing a police-mental health collaborative 11 to mental health treatment strategies in youth communities 12 to asking suicide screening questions, 13 I urge you to read these articles through a resilience-oriented lens. I think that you will find a new appreciation for the power of resilience. We need to commit and recommit to resilience every day to transform the way we think, the way we respond to crisis, and, ultimately, how we care for ourselves, our loved ones, and our clients. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration Available at https:// www. kff. org/ other/ state-indic ator/ adults-repor ting-sympt oms-of-anxie ty-or-depre ssive-disor der-during-covid-19-pande mic/? curre ntTim eframe= 0& sortM odel=% 7B% 22col Id% 22:% 22Loc ation% 22 Available at https:// www. thena tiona lcoun cil. org/ press-relea ses/ natio nal-counc il-for-mental-wellb eing-poll-finds-youth-mental-health-worse ned-drama tical ly-becau se-of-covid-19-pande mic National Council for Mental Wellbeing National Council for Mental Wellbeing Fostering Resilience and Recovery: A Change Package for Advancing Trauma-informed Primary Care DC: Mental Health First Aid USA Building resilience in the face of crisis: Lessons learned from a community behavioral health care organization Transition from military service: Mental health and well-being among service members and veterans with service-connected disabilities Stakeholder perspectives on implementing a police-mental health collaborative to improve pathways to treatment Measuring evidence-based treatment strategies in youth community mental health care: the evidence-based strategies scale Provider opinions of the acceptability of the ask suicide-screening questions (ASQ) tool and the ASQ brief suicide safety assessment (BSSA) for universal suicide risk screening in community healthcare: potential barriers and necessary elements for future implementation