Dive into Episode #128 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Treena Reilkoff, a former clinical social worker who not only coaches and consults in the psychological health and safety space. Treena shares her views on trauma-informed psychological health and safety practices.

Being trauma-informed means recognizing the widespread impact of trauma and understanding potential paths for recovery. It means recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in others, integrating this knowledge into practices, and striving to avoid re-traumatization. It's about creating a supportive environment where people feel safe and respected and promoting healing.

The fundamental principles of a trauma-informed approach to psychological health and safety include:

• Ensuring physical and emotional safety for everyone involved.

• Building trust

• Encouraging mutual support and shared experiences

• Promoting teamwork and equal participation in decision-making

• Empowering individuals by giving them a voice and choice in their care.

• Recognizing and addressing the impact of cultural, historical, and gender issues on trauma

Ms. Reilkoff suggests that not only do we all have an experience of being “trauma-exposed,” but we should use a trauma-informed approach as a universal precaution when considering psychological health and safety.

Dive into Episode #127 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Juliette Gust, a forensic accountant, experienced fraud investigator, rCo-Founder & President of Ethics Suite, a Hotline Reporting Intake & Case Management System.

Reporting misconduct can be quite challenging due to a variety of factors:

· Fear of Retaliation: Whistleblowers often worry about losing their jobs, facing demotion, or experiencing harassment from colleagues or superiors.

· Isolation: Speaking out against wrongdoing can lead to social isolation within the workplace, as peers may distance themselves to avoid association with the whistleblower.

· Psychological Stress: The process of whistleblowing can be emotionally draining, causing anxiety, stress, and mental health issues.

· Lack of Protection: Not all organizations or countries have strong legal protections for whistleblowers, making it risky.

· Doubts About Impact: Whistleblowers may fear that their efforts will not lead to meaningful change or that their concerns will be ignored or dismissed.

Ethics Suite is a system that allow misconduct reporting to go through a third party to help not only collet and record reporting, but to help build trust in the orgazantion’s willness to address issues.

Dive into Episode #126 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Jason Frazer, CEO and Chief Fun Officer for Drizzle Communications, a multiplatform training and educational consulting firm. Before launching Drizzle Communications, Jason was a Meteorologist and Co-Host for FOX Weather, the 24/7 weather streaming service from FOX News. Jason helped launch the network in 2021. His contributions included leading a documentary on turbulence called 'Fasten Your Seatbelts' and helping to cover several weather events, including Hurricane Ian, the New Jersey earthquake, Tropical Storm Harold, the solar eclipse, and more.

Jason and Dr. Daniels will talk about the weather, the inevitability of its impact on everyone on Earth, and some of the psychological concerns that weather events can have and how we respond to them.

Dive into Episode #125 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Ernie Brooks, a positivity and relaxation instructor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mr. Brooks is also active with students at his alma mater, Anna Maria College, as a member of the alumni association Board of Directors. He prides himself in creating genuine connections with students and safe spaces for them to be their best selves as they navigate the college experience.

In the 2024 World Happiness Report, the United States ranks 23rd, the first time in the report's history that the U.S. has fallen out of the top 20. The U.S. was ranked 15th in 2023. The report also indicated that young people, particularly those aged 15-24 (Generation Z), report lower happiness levels than older generations in many regions, including North America, Western Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. Concerns about their future, economic instability, and mental health contribute to this trend; essentially, they feel less happy than their elders.

These data suggest that organizations of all types and sizes should expect that Gen Z will need support from a mental health perspective. To support Gen Z mental health, organizations should prioritize providing readily accessible mental health resources, promoting work-life balance, offering flexible work arrangements, educating leaders on recognizing mental health concerns, incorporating stress management tools, and fostering a culture that openly discusses mental health issues, including utilizing platforms like meditation apps and wellness programs tailored to Gen Z's needs.

In this elective course, Ernie is seeking to meet students where they are and provide them with roles that will help them be more positive and relaxed in their education pursuits and in their lives.

Dive into Episode #124 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Jeffe Sease, with Predictive Safety, a company that provides technology solutions to help organizations predict potential safety issues before they become problems by providing data on workers' fatigue states.

Predictive Safety Analysis involves leveraging data, technology, and analytical tools to anticipate safety issues. It allows organizations to take preventive measures and create a safer working environment. It's about foreseeing and addressing safety concerns before they become incidents.

The importance of workplace safety cannot be overstated. Beyond legal compliance, fostering a secure work environment is a moral obligation and a key driver of employee well-being and productivity. Organizations that prioritize safety contribute to a positive workplace culture and build trust among their workforce.

Dive into Episode #123 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Cory Worden, an Air Force Veteran and Safety Manager with the City of Houston, Texas, who oversees health and safety for many of the city’s most hazardous occupations, including the fire, police, and emergency management functions. Cory brings his experience from the military into the public sector, focused on some of the most significant safety challenges that face the 4th largest city in the United States.

Public sector work can be high hazard due to many factors, including:

• Public employees face a variety of hazards, including exposure to toxic chemicals, blood-borne diseases, and indoor air pollution.

• Public employees are at a higher risk of assault and violence at work from clients, patients, and others.

• State and local public-sector employees are 64% more likely to be injured than private-sector employees.

Public sector workers also face many mental health challenges, including:

• Workers, especially educators, health care workers, and law enforcement officials, can experience trauma and secondary trauma from their work. Secondary trauma is the emotional distress that occurs when hearing about someone else's traumatic experiences.

• Workers are often exposed to life-threatening situations and emergencies, which can lead to job-related stress

Dive into Episode #122 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Amir Rashidian, a chiropractor of over 20 years. Dr. Rishidian pulls back the curtain and establishes that chiropractic science is more than back and spinal alignment.

Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to positively affect mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. By correcting misalignments in the spine, chiropractic care can improve nerve function, promoting better mental and emotional well-being. When the spine is aligned correctly, nerve signals can flow more freely, allowing the body to function optimally.

Studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments can help regulate the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increase the production of endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers. Additionally, chiropractic care has been found to improve sleep quality, which is crucial for maintaining good mental health.

Dive into Episode #121 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Cipriano Belser, the Executive Director of the Southern California Council for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH).

Mr. Belser shares his experience as a low-wage worker who transitioned into Occupational Health and Safety and his role with SoCalCOSH, which advocates for the health and safety of workers who are exposed to a variety of psychosocial and physical hazards.

Low-wage workers often face several safety issues that can significantly impact their health and well-being. One of the primary concerns is hazardous working conditions. Many low-wage jobs are in construction, agriculture, and food service industries, where workers are exposed to dangerous equipment, chemicals, and environments.

Another critical issue is the need for proper training. Employers are required to provide adequate training on safety protocols, but they sometimes fail to do so, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. Inadequate safety equipment is also a common problem. Workers might lack access to protective gear, such as gloves, helmets, or masks, which can lead to injuries or long-term health issues.

These safety issues disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, including women, people of color, and immigrants. These groups are more likely to be in low-wage jobs and face these safety challenges at higher rates.

Dive into Episode #120 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Rich Walsh, a Vice President with Amp Health, a business intelligence company that seeks to help the manufacturing sector with predictive approaches to minimize worker overexertion.

Overexertion happens when you push your mind and/or body beyond its limits, resulting in fatigue, pain, and sometimes injury. It can be caused by physical or mental exertion and can occur in the workplace or your daily life:

Physical overexertion can occur when lifting heavy objects, performing repetitive motions, or maintaining awkward postures. It can also be caused by working in extreme temperatures, such as hot environments that cause heat stress or cold environments that reduce blood flow.

Mental overexertion, also known as mental exhaustion or mental fatigue, is a state of extreme tiredness that can affect your mood, focus, and decision-making skills. It can occur when your brain is overstimulated or maintains a high activity level without rest.

Dive into Episode #119 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Andre Schaffer, MD, a former firefighter and now board-certified orthopedic surgeon.

Many occupations are widely believed to be “dream jobs,” These dream jobs often inspire young people to seek to design their lives around the opportunity. Some occupations are so appealing that young people start doing the things necessary to get into a career or job early. Often, these early efforts pay off, and highly motivated young individuals end up in their dream jobs. However, not everything that glitters is gold. For any number of reasons, what may have been a dream changes. How do people respond when the dream is not as satisfying as expected? One option is to give up and descend into depression as a result of your dreams being dashed. Another option is to seek out an even greater challenge.

In this podcast episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with someone who has lived the latter. After spending years preparing for one career and entering extremely young, he discovered that there was something that the first career did not satisfy, so he set off to do something that some may have believed impossible. Dr. Schaffer shares his journey from a high schooler interested in becoming a firefighter who decided that he wanted to do more. This desire led him to apply to Cornell Medical School and get accepted on the first try. All this even though he was, while smart, a below-average high school student and was living with ADHD. Dr. Schaffer now helps his patients not only recover physically but also on the road to a healthy mindset.