This quarter, I wanted to facilitate a workshop for our clinic staff to provide a wellness break during lunch time as the holidays approach. Each day the clinic offers walk-in and ongoing appointments to roughly 180 patients a day, many of whom are seeking medical treatment for the first time in their lives. Clinic staff see patients with chronic conditions, mental health challenges, and for preventative care as well. In Behavioral Health we serve patients with mild to moderate symptoms and support those who exhibit severe symptoms to connect with higher levels of care. During a recent patient crisis, the security personnel, medical staff, and behavioral staff worked together to ensure the patient received crisis intervention and appropriate resources for ongoing care. Working in community health can be both challenging and very rewarding. 

Since we are always encouraging our patients to engage in self care/healthy coping I thought it would be great to practice what we preach. I love to tell the staff about the benefits of art and was excited to offer this workshop to help them increase knowledge of healthy coping strategies. 

I set up all the supplies for the Shrinky Ornaments workshop which included shrinky dink paper, markers, stickers, and a few sensory engagement items. I led the staff in a relaxation activity to remind everybody it was safe to relax and express themselves in a creative manner. I then proceeded to discuss the materials available and shared some examples of ornaments they could create using the special shrink plastic. I played some instrumental music in the background and sat with them as music played softly in the background. 

I asked the staff when was the last time they had engaged in art. One person said they had never done art before. They said they knew the benefits of art and at the end of the workshop said they were interested in doing it more often. I showed participants how to bake their shrinky dinks in the oven and they were amazed by it. It was great to see their smiles and joy in creating their shrinky ornaments.

After we were done creating we shared the meaning behind our creations and encouraged each other. It was a great time! Everyone was engaged and very focused on the activity.

Due to such a positive response from the staff, I hope to lead workshops once a quarter to help boost morale, create time to bond as a team, and focus on provider wellness.