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Mental Health

Aug 14
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practice self-compassion

Suicide Prevention in a Vicarious Trauma-Informed Workplace

By Barbara Rubel Mental Health, Self-compassion, Suicide Prevention, Trauma Informed, Trauma Informed Workplace, Vicarious trauma, Well-Being at Work
Promoting Self-Compassion and Suicide Prevention in a Vicarious Trauma-Informed Workplace Suicide remains a critical global health concern, demanding accessible interventions to safeguard those working with those who are traumatized, grieving, or struggling with a crisis in their life. Exposure to vicarious trauma is a reality for police, firefighters, emergency personnel, mental health professionals, and social workers, potentially leading to symptoms mirroring those they assist. First responders and helping professionals have…
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Jul 22
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Influential Businesswoman Awards

Barbara Rubel Receives Speaker of the Year 2024 Award

By Barbara Rubel Awards, First Responders, Mental Health
The Influential Businesswomen awards, presented by Acquisition International (AI), are being held for the ninth year to honor all of the award recipients and their achievements. Each year, Acquisition International honors and highlights the accomplishments of the most remarkable and inspirational female business leaders from all over the world. For the second year in a row, Barbara Rubel has been given the First Responder Mental Health & Wellness Speaker of…
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Sep 25
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looking for a friend

Thwarted Belongingness, Perceived Burdensomeness, Hopelessness, and Cognitive Distortions for First Responders

By Barbara Rubel First Responders, Mental Health, Suicide Prevention No Comments
For all first responders whether law enforcement, emergency medical personnel or paramedics, or firefighters, there is a connection or link between thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, hopelessness, and cognitive distortions. Thwarted Belongingness According to Thomas Joiner's interpersonal psychological theory of suicide, feeling like you don’t belong and that you are a burden can trigger suicidal thoughts. When a person lacks deep relationships with those around them, they are lonely and socially…
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Aug 30
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law enforcement officers

Encouraging Law Enforcement to Seek Mental Health Support

By Barbara Rubel First Responders, Law Enforcement, Mental Health No Comments
LEOs are not asking for mental health support. Let’s work on changing that. Law enforcement officers (LEOs) face common mental health issues and often believe that treatment is effective, but professionally risky. They may fear a fitness for duty evaluation (FFDE) if they self-disclose that they need the help of a mental health professional. They may feel anxious about the possibility of losing their job. Masculinity within police culture can…
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Jun 26
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police officers

How Family and Friends Can Support a First Responder’s Mental Health

By Barbara Rubel First Responders, Law Enforcement, Mental Health, Work-Life Balance No Comments
Synergy When a first responder eats healthily at home and gets eight hours sleep, and works on their physical health, their job is positively impacted.  By the same token, when they are satisfied with their job and feel supported in their role, their family life is positively impacted. Whether you are a friend or family member, you can help them find synergy in their life and impact their well-being. Synergy…
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May 05
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GHP Mental Health

Barbara Rubel Won a GHP Mental Health Award for the 2nd Year!

By Barbara Rubel Awards, Mental Health, Trauma Informed, Vicarious trauma No Comments
The GHP Mental Health Awards once again showcased the best of the best in the mental health industry in 2023. Their novel award approach welcomes all companies in all shapes and sizes. They do not prioritize their winners based on demographics, and instead aim to research, analyze, and shortlist all companies in this industry based on their merits. The final decisions have now been reached. From her recent nomination, they…
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Mar 21
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law enforcement

Addressing Psychological Risks of Law Enforcement Officers: Mental Health at Work

By Barbara Rubel First Responders, Law Enforcement, Mental Health No Comments
I created a vicious trauma-approach that puts the law enforcement officer (LEO) at the center of issues related to well-being and suicide prevention. I care deeply about preventing suicide in LEOs as my father, a sergeant, died by suicide after he retired. I found meaning in his suicide by focusing on mental health, wellness and resilience in first responders. Vicarious-trauma informed practices are policies that focus on ways to lessen…
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Oct 21
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burnout

4 Symptoms of Burnout You Should Be Aware of

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health, Work-Life Balance No Comments
You may not be aware that you are suffering from burnout. We have all gone through a traumatic experience dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Is it burnout? Is it grief? Or are we all just having a really bad hair day? Now that you are getting back to your usual routine, you may still feel exhausted and overwhelmed by the simplest of tasks. You might get easily angry or frustrated.…
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Oct 21
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recovery from burnout

How to Promote Recovery from Burnout

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health No Comments
Our previous post is on the symptoms and signs of burnout to help you recognize if you display some of those symptoms and what your risk for burnout might be. For individuals who have a high risk or are already dealing with severe burnout symptoms, here are some things you can start doing now to recover and achieve a better balance in your life. How to Recover from Burnout Create…
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Sep 23
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post pandemic workplace

Characteristics of a Quiet Quitter

By Barbara Rubel Burnout, Mental Health No Comments
Post-pandemic work environment My focus when creating the Palette of Grief® was the physical, emotional, behavioral, spiritual, and cognitive responses from a devastating loss. The Palette of Grief® can metaphorically be applied to the current work environment because of the reactions from many employees to the losses they’ve experienced post-pandemic. They are grieving how their job has changed since before the pandemic started, and losing friends and other co-workers who…
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Jul 15
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eyes of a sad child

Do Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Impact First Responders?

By Barbara Rubel Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs), Mental Health, Trauma Informed No Comments
If you are a first responder with a high ACES’s score, does that impact you in any way? Adverse Childhood Events (ACEs) are experiences that happen to a child anytime from birth up to their 18th birthday that can be anything from watching or experiencing abuse and violence to being in a household where members have drug or mental health issues. The three types of ACE are: Abuse Neglect Dysfunctional…
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May 19
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ghp pharma

Mental Health Thought-Leader of the Year 2022

By Barbara Rubel Awards, Mental Health No Comments
Announcing the winners of the GHP Mental Health Awards Mental health has been one of the most neglected parts of global healthcare in recent years. The Covid-19 pandemic has prompted a behavioral shift, with mental health and wellbeing taking center stage. Since 2019, many obstacles have been imposed on the mental well-being and health of millions of people throughout the world, and while the world navigates through new territory, the…
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Apr 01
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Work-Life Balance

By Barbara Rubel Work-Life Balance, Mental Health, Stress No Comments
Achieve balance between work and your personal life How in the world do you achieve work-life balance after the world changed due to the pandemic? Your assumptive world has been shattered and professional life has changed. For that matter, so has your personal life. For many, the workplace has moved to the kitchen table. For others, the hours spent in the actual workplace have increased, limiting time spent appreciating one’s…
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Aug 01
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The Place I Learn the Most

By Barbara Rubel Mental Health No Comments
My “relaxing” weekend begins with my watching political reporters and talking heads arguing with one another. They sound more like columnists espousing their own views as they present bias questions to candidates. There are tensions among the electorate and strong rhetoric on both sides of the issues. I listen in hope of learning something new. There is a lot of noise coming from the television set. I turn the channels…
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