Health Story Northwell Health

In the face of traumas how do we find resiliency and healing? Mayer Bellehsen, PhD, director of the Center for Traumatic Stress, Resilience and Recovery (CTSRR), shares what he calls the five domains of coping. Within that framework, he says connection is the most robust protective factor and stresses the importance of family in the recovery process.

Dr. Bellehsen also discusses the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on health care providers; pulling from past disasters like 9/11 and the AIDS crisis; and his work with veterans living with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and more.

Caring for kids and teens, and adult self-care, are among topics discussed with Victor Fornari, MD, director of child and adolescent psychiatry at Zucker Hillside Hospital. Dr. Fornari describes mental health support programs and tools available to help struggling families "bounce forward" toward a healthier, post-COVID-19 future.

Drawing on personal experiences may calm conflicts, reduce stress, and empower frontline health care workers to maintain effectiveness and build stronger relationships with patients and coworkers. Dr. Joseph Weiner, MD, PhD, is associate clinical professor of psychiatry, medicine, and science education at the Zucker School Medicine. Dr. Weiner discusses emotional triggers and explains how a look back may show a healthy way forward for helpers who need healing.

Signs of progress against the Covid-19 pandemic in the United States are encouraging, yet infection rates continue to surge in some regions of the world, and lack of access to vaccines abroad and vaccine-hesitancy at home raise the risk of virus variants and future infections. The on-going need to remain on-guard includes ready access to mental health services. Manish Sapra, MD, executive director of the Behavioral Health Services at Northwell Health, discusses today's unique mental health challenges, and explains why Telehealth and Telepsychiatry are vital tools in the practitioner's kit.

Social distancing and quarantine can magnify pandemic anxiety. For those who feel isolated, a holistic nurse practitioner provides a guided meditation to build awareness of shared connections.

Focus on everyday purpose and meaning with a parable about work, then find encouragement with a brief meditation created especially for essential workers by a holistic nurse practitioner.