The Burnout Antidote: Infusing Well-being into Healthcare Culture

Fear. Anger. Guilt. Shame.

These are emotions individuals might feel after having a traumatic experience as a healthcare professional. Healthcare workers know they'll be exposed to human suffering and care for people at some of the worst and most vulnerable moments in their life. But there are some experiences that are more than a "bad day." How can healing professionals process these experiences so that they don't add to moral distress and burnout? In this episode, co-host Amy Pearlman and Paul Deger candidly share their own stories of traumatic experiences while delivering healthcare, their immediate reactions, the after effects, how they think about these experiences now, and what healthcare professionals can do to support themselves and their colleagues when these incidents happen.

Content notice: This episode includes descriptions of physical aggression in the healthcare environment.

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

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Facing discrimination from workplace colleagues or your patients can not only cause pain and trauma at a personal level, but can also add turmoil to an already stressful environment. How can workplaces build psychological safety and protect their employees against intentional discrimination and implicit bias? In this episode, clinicians and co-hosts Amy Pearlman and Paul Deger listen to the stories of two healthcare clinicians who share their personal experience with discrimination and bias in the healthcare setting and discuss action steps for building an inclusive culture.

Take the bias quiz: https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts:

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We have all felt the discomfort of systemic racism, social unrest, or discrimination in our personal lives. In this episode, co-hosts Amy Pearlman and Paul Deger focus on what that means to our work lives in healthcare. Our guest clinician describes their perspectives on healthcare disparities and using their voice to advocate for change and equity.

Conversations related to these topics may be uncomfortable but they are valuable for our growth and the evolution of the healthcare profession. An understanding of change and discomfort may lead us to a better place.

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

iHeartRadio

Amazon Music

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Our Podcasts

Representation and including diverse voices at the healthcare table not only helps prevent burnout for providers, but also positively impacts their patients. In this episode, co-hosts Amy and Paul explore the impact of under-representation in healthcare on marginalized communities. We also hear from Juliana, a doctor who immigrated to the United States, who describes her journey navigating systems and culture, empathizing with patients, and the value of a supportive professional community.

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

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Amazon Music

Apple

Our Podcasts

Healthcare workers have a unique window into humanity and are often exposed to suffering. In this episode, Paul and Amy reflect on the impact of repeated exposure to suffering on healthcare workers' empathy and compassion. If you've ever felt the pressure to be a healthcare hero, but have realized even heroes are human beings with limits, this episode is for you.

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

iHeartRadio

Amazon Music

Apple

Our Podcasts

Does work-life balance feel impossible? Sometimes the stress we feel at work or home seems to creep into the other place. How can we think about these two distinct parts of ourselves and acknowledge and manage the stress of both? In this episode, Amy and Paul hear from two healthcare clinicians who share their experience dealing with incredible amounts of stress at work and home, what they learned about our common humanity, and identifying one's values to guide an approach to work-life integration.

Our Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit https://psychhub.com to dig deeper and access the world's most comprehensive platform for behavioral health continuing education.

Follow us on social media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

iHeartRadio

Amazon Music

Apple

Our Podcasts

What does a frog have to do with burnout? Hosts Amy Pearlman and Paul Deger draw the surprising connection while discussing culture as a systemic driver of burnout and moral distress among healthcare workers. Amy and Paul lay everything out on the table - the good, the bad, and the ugly - so that we can learn from it, evaluate our current situation, and build a better culture. We also hear from Elyssa, an ICU nurse, who describes her personal workplace experience and how culture can make it or break it.

The Hosts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit psychhub.com to dig deeper and access evidence-based mental health continuing education.

Follow us on Social Media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

iHeartRadio

Amazon Music

Apple

Our Podcasts

Our healthcare community is hurting. Recent surveys indicate that 38% of healthcare workers report anxiety and depression, 43% experience work overload, 49% report burnout, and 1 in 10 medical students report feeling suicidal ideation. As a healthcare worker, you've probably been given a list of self-care tips to help you be more resilient. We're challenging the healthcare system to think about this differently. How do we make changes in the healthcare environment and culture, and also protect ourselves from suffering burnout?

Welcome to The Burnout Antidote podcast, where we honor real stories from healthcare workers who share their experiences with burnout and moral distress in their own words. Our hosts, Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW, and Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT, reflect on these stories, explore tools to cultivate community, and share strategies to create healthier systems that are less likely to induce moral distress. This episode features our special guest, Dr. Thekla Brumder Ross, an expert in burnout, moral distress, and self-compassion, who helps us embark on this journey.

"We just haven't been taught in our culture how to name our suffering, and when we name it, we tame it. We can actually decrease it by getting it out of our bodies, out of our mouths, out of our brains by just saying it out loud. " - Dr. Thekla Brumder Ross

Meet the Hosts and Experts:

Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW

Amy Pearlman is a quintessential social worker with a strong desire to improve healthcare outcomes. She believes that the best way to support the largest number of people is through engaging the community of providers and allies. She has transitioned between provider and payer settings over the course of her career to develop her clinical skills and maximize her empathy of provider experience, with the mission of aligning perspectives around a shared focus and goal to improve healthcare for individuals and families. Her clinical expertise is in crisis intervention, community based care, and clinical program design. Amy believes that healthcare is strongly tied to the health of care providers and is proud to support the healthcare system in this way.

Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT

Paul Deger is a mindfulness-based intervention specialist. He has been in the healthcare delivery world for 35 years - first as a physical therapist, then as a licensed professional counselor. Paul has worked in a broad range of healthcare environments - inpatient, outpatient, ER and home-based. He also has served as a trainer for health care providers - covering clinical and self-care topics. Paul has seen - and experienced provider burnout - and has found sustainable ways forward. A life-long learner, he seeks out ways to exemplify being human and professional, accessing head and heart, balancing self-care and caring for others. To learn more about Paul, click here.

Thekla Brumder Ross, PsyD

Thekla Brumder Ross, PsyD is a clinical psychologist, a certified ambassador of compassion, a national leader of addiction medicine, a workforce wellbeing consultant and she strengthens human resources for abortion providers. In her 14 years at Kaiser Permanente, Thekla led large-scale dissemination, implementation, and sustainability of evidence-based practices and policies in addiction medicine, SBIRT and primary care behavioral health integration. Notably, she developed the Kaiser Permanente National Harm Reduction Strategy and acted as a subject matter expert in patient activation and provider wellbeing. Today you can find Thekla acting as a strategic advisor to NIAAA, serving on the National Drug Abuse Treatment Clinical Trials Network Community Representative Council, providing guidance to organizations in product, content, and strategy design, as well as consulting on the dissemination and implementation of evidenced based care in health systems. To learn more about Thekla, click here.

Resource:

Dr. Kristen Neff's Self-Compassion Quiz

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.

If you enjoy this podcast, be sure to follow or subscribe wherever you are listening, and share the show with your colleagues and friends. Check us out on YouTube.

The Burnout Antidote is for educational purposes only. Visit psychhub.com to dig deeper and access evidence-based mental health continuing education.

Follow us on Social Media and wherever you get your podcasts:

Instagram

Spotify

iHeartRadio

Amazon Music

Apple

Our Podcasts

Healthcare burnout is real. How do we find our way back to well-being? How can we be present in our work healing others?

We need a new conversation beyond "just meditate or take a walk." We need a discussion that listens to our pain, asks hard questions and finds the joy and purpose lost along the way.

Join hosts Amy Pearlman, MSW, LICSW, and Paul Deger, MA, LPC, PT, as they honor the stories of fellow healthcare clinicians who are navigating burnout and discuss solutions for real change.

The first two episodes of "The Burnout Antidote" will be available November 15th, and new episodes will be released every Wednesday. Like, follow, or subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

The Burnout Antidote is a co-production from Psych Hub and is brought to you by Janssen Neuroscience.