Resiliency retreats
Recent research suggests that the capacity to find personal meaning in your work is highly correlated with professional and personal resiliency and the experience of greater joy in even the most routine aspects of work. The Awakening the Heart of Service resiliency retreats draw on an award-winning discovery model to offer participants the opportunity to discover the power of meaning to transform their experience of their daily work, revitalize their commitment and reinvigorate their service intention.
NEOMED Police Lieutenant Shawn Parker recently attended one of the retreats at Salt Fork State Lodge.
“While my initial feelings were that I did not need to go (and maybe a little of I did not want to go), I am so glad I took advantage of this opportunity. The sessions were so on point for those of us dealing with burnout on the job or in our personal lives,” he shared. “In our professions, we often feel required to put others’ needs before ourselves. We also become exposed to and are expected to handle many other people’s problems while attempting to balance our own issues. This retreat allowed some relief from the daily stressors we experience and covered self-care to avoid further or future burnout.”
The retreats are funded through a three-year, $2.17 million grant to Margy Sanders, M.A., LSW, project director, Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program, and associate professor of family and community medicine, from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration under the Health and Public Safety Workforce Resiliency Training Program.
Through the grant, Sanders and Denise Kropp, project manager, organize weekend retreats for health and other service professionals to help them rediscover purpose, build resiliency and avoid burnout.
“I left the retreat with a renewed sense of purpose and passion,” said Parker. “While I attended the first responder version, the topics are similar, and I would wholly recommend this retreat to anyone in the service professions (first responder, medical field, social work). Our presenters are top notch, and we are lucky to be able to have this resource free of charge to make us better professionals and individuals.”
Several weekend retreats are planned through the end of the year:
Health Care Professionals, Paraprofessionals and Caregivers
August 11-13, 2023
June 16-18, 2023
September 8-10, 2023
September 29 – October 1, 2023
Interprofessional University Faculty (Train the Trainer)
July 28-30, 2023
November 3-5, 2023