The Wellness Course: Bringing Joy to the Practice of Medicine

Storytelling – A Path to Wellness

In this session, participants will explore what it means to care for each other and to identify when our colleagues may need extra care. Through the sharing of stories, participants will experience the importance of stories in building community and in raising our sense of wellbeing. Participants will also review how we can show more compassion to ourselves, just as we do for others.

As health care professionals, we are faced with busy schedules, long hours, documentation burden, and the often opposing forces of optimizing both  efficiency and quality of patient care. These chronic work-related stressors place us at risk of  burnout, depression, anxiety and other  chronic health conditions such as hypertension and heart disease.  In this workshop we will explore the impact of the Stress Response, Resiliency, and the Relaxation Response on chronic illness as well as their impact on  growth and wellness. Experiential instruction will be provided in the following  Evidence Based Techniques for eliciting the Relaxation Response: Diaphragmatic Breathing, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Guided Imagery, and Mantra Repetition. The audience is encouraged to establish a daily practice using a relaxation techniques that work best for them, thus mitigating the negative impact of chronic stress on their mind-body, improving resilience and coping.  

Wellness for Women Physicians

This session is designed to educate about  vicarious trauma, and how to utilize resources to prevent the negative  effects of unresolved issues perpetuating the traumatic experience. The objectives are:

1. To define vicarious trauma
2. To identify how vicarious trauma affects us
3. Demonstrate ability to utilize resources to minimize or prevent negative effects of vicarious trauma

CHAIR YOGA

Class will begin by grounding and connecting to the breath.  We will move through a series of yoga stretches designed to relax the body, calm the mind, and soothe the spirit.  Most of the postures will be done from a seated position, and a few will be done standing with the aid of the chair for support.  We will practice balancing exercises as well as strengthening and stretching muscles and connective tissue.  Many of the postures that we will practice can be repeated daily at your desk throughout your workday.

Redesign Takes A Village  - Understanding Behavioral Styles and Navigating Change

All transformation and redesign initiatives require high performing teams and careful attention to change management to be successful. In this session, we will explore 4 behavioral styles and lead participants through an individual assessment so they can learn more about their own style, and how to gauge and understand the styles of team members. This can be a powerful way to engage a diverse group of people and make sure the group understands the needs, wants and contributions of the individual team members. We will also explore the continuum of the human reaction towards change as people move through denial, resistance, exploration and commitment and how leaders can best support their teams through change.