UConn Health Emotional Wellness Support Services

The Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a confidential assessment, brief counseling and referral service available to all employees and their family members. EAP offers confidential assessments, grief counseling, and referrals to all employees and their family members. It also provides virtual mental health training. To schedule an appointment, Email or call  860-679-2877. Requests for appointments are responded to within the hour. For urgent situations after business hours, call 860-679-2877 and follow the instructions to be connected to the on-call EAP counselor.

For frontline employees, free, confidential on demand counseling support is available M-F from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Don’t take ownership of this pandemic. Stress debriefing available on a private, individual basis, or for work teams on a private, group basis. You can also choose to debrief in a private space of your choice by contacting the EAP (uchc_eap@uchc.edu) or Dr. Julian Ford​ in Psychiatry.

To all UConn Health employees, the Mood and Anxiety Clinic & Department of Psychiatry are deeply grateful for your tireless efforts on the front-lines of caring for patients affected by this pandemic. Your efforts are keeping us and communities around us safe by curtailing the spread of the virus and providing the best and most compassionate care for every patient. We understand that all of this comes with a significant physical and emotional toll on you and your loved ones. Many of you work long hours, are also caring for and protecting your loved ones, and grieving the losses that affect all of us so deeply. Your dedication is heroic, and it comes at a price. We know that all of you are concerned about the safety of your family members, friends as and co-workers. Many of you may have experienced stigma for being on the front lines, and felt traumatized as you witness terrible pain and suffering. You have to carry on even when you feel exhausted physically and emotionally, and that is the heavy toll of stress and compassion fatigue that is unavoidable for first responders. At this time, it’s often difficult to think about taking care of yourself, and there’s little time to do so – but finding ways to manage the stress and recharge yourself emotionally as well as physically is every front line worker’s right and responsibility.

We, providers in the Mood and Anxiety Clinic, want to do our part to support you during these difficult times. Our clinicians can provide short term psychological (and if necessary pharmacological) care to help you be highly effective in managing the unavoidable stress and to address any emotional difficulties you are dealing with, personally and professionally. Comprehensive evaluation and treatment appointments will be scheduled with our providers (psychologists and psychiatrists) within 24-48 hours. We are closely coordinating these efforts with EAP and HR.

To set up an appointment, you can call EAP at 860-679-2877 or the Mood and Anxiety Clinic at 860-679-5414with a self-referral. All care is confidential.

Thank you to all who have incorporated our live, midday meditations into your day. As we adapt our lives and practices to this disease, it is more important than ever to take time for reprieve and self-care. To aid you in your self-care practices, we share with you recordings of our some of our sessions so you can continue meeting your mindfulness needs. If you are new to this practice, we welcome you. These evidence-based practices of mindful breathing, body and sensory awareness, relaxation, and self- compassion help reduce symptoms of stress and anxiety, calm the body and the mind, regulate emotions, and increase resilience in these times of vulnerability.

Midday Meditation - Progressive Muscle Relaxation

Midday Meditation - Relaxation with Light

For more information, contact Dr. Jessica Meyer, Department of Psychiatry

There are universal values that everyone should embrace — treating one another with respect and kindness while working hard to understand each other's unique experiences. Please safely engage with your colleagues, friends, family, and other supports during this difficult time. Ask them how they are doing today. Give each other grace as we navigate unforeseen circumstances. Have empathy for those who are scared and uncertain.

Also, know that our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is a safe place to seek free, confidential support for you and your family members. Acts of violence and the subsequent events we are witnessing in the media have an emotional impact on all of us. EAP provides emotional support and information and crisis resources. If you are concerned bout an employee or colleague, offer EAP as a resource.

Contact EAP 860-679-2877 or uchc_eap@uchc.edu.

Additional Resources

Free Tools and Apps to Support the Mental Health and Resilience of All Nurses, offered by the ANA Well-Being initiative.

#FirstRespondersFirst an initiative to support and sustain the health and well-being of frontline workers amidst COVID-19 conceived by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Thrive Global.

Anxiety and COVID-19 training video by Drs. Dana Crawford and Miguelina Germain from Montefiore Medical Center teaches you coping skills to get through this outbreak and helps you tolerate short and long-term distress.

Self-Care and Applying Psychological First Aid for COVID-19 Responders just in-time training offering stress management strategies to protect the healthcare workforce.

Sustaining the Well-Being of Healthcare Personnel.pdf during Coronavirus and other Infectious Disease Outbreak, CSTS

Self-care Tips to Reduce Anxiety as COVID-19 cases increase, watch tips on what you can do to strengthen yourself.

Resilience Is Mindfulness: 12 Calming Exercises for Kids

Three Secrets of Resilient People a TEDx talk where resilience researcher Lucy Hone helps people apply scientific research practically in their everyday lives.

Self-care Tips to Reduce Anxiety as COVID-19 cases increase, watch tips on what you can do to strengthen yourself.

Coronavirus Staff Updates

Coronavirus Human Resources FAQ

Coronavirus Telecommuting Guidance

What Does a Coronavirus 'Lockdown' or 'Shelter in Place' Order Mean?

Professional Development where UConn employees can find online courses.

Professional Development join the School of Business Book Club.

Tuition Programs for UConn Health employees and their children.

Learn from Nobl How to Keep Your Cool When Work Gets Heated- self-management techniques to regulate your responses.

8 Ways Managers Can Support Employees’ Mental Health, Harvard Business Review Article

Tech Against Coronavirus a crowdsourced list of software solutions to help you make working from home easier.

Working from Home a YouTube playlist of how to effectively work at home.

Voluntary Schedule Reduction Program

Community