This episode of Workforce on the Mic explores how integrating mental health and holistic wellness into workforce development helps job seekers overcome complex barriers, equips staff with practical support strategies, and ultimately strengthens outcomes, retention, and system sustainability.
Podcast Transcript
What could happen if we take our workforce to new heights? Workforce on the Mic, presented by NAWDP, brings you inspirational stories, innovative solutions, and expert insights that are shaping the future of the workforce.
Tune in for dynamic conversations that motivate and transform the workforce development community. And now, on to the episode.
00:00:29 Alexis Franks
Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening, all you workforce warriors across the country. My name is Alexis Franks, and I am your Director of Membership here at the National Association of Workforce Development Professionals. And welcome to another episode of Workforce on the Mic.
Today’s episode focuses on an issue that affects us all, mental health and wellness in the workplace and within the workforce system.
As workforce professionals, we spend so much time helping others find stability and purpose, but it is equally important that we support the well-being of both our teams and the individuals we serve. And that is why I am so excited today to get to talk with Ms. Shay Jones with EDSI and learn a little bit more about their Wellness to Work program.
And together today, we’ll explore why a thoughtful, people-centered approach to workforce development is so critical.
Shay is also one of our previous workforce heroes, so we are so excited to have her with us today and to join us on this discussion on the Wellness to Work program.
00:01:48 Shay Jones-Vitale
Thank you so much for acknowledging me. That was such an honor and I’m so proud of the work that I get to do for EDSI and I’m excited to be recognized by your amazing organization.
My name is Shay Jones-Vitale. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and I have the role inside of EDSI as coordinator. And so that’s really a blended role where I get to use a lot of my mental health background and addictions theory and just client-centered approaches to not only our job seekers with, focusing on holistic wellness so that they’re workforce ready, but also our staff that works with them as well.
00:02:28 Alexis Franks
Great. Thank you so much, Shay. And just to start us off, you know, I know you talked a little bit about your work and your background and workforce. So, can you give us an overview about the Wellness to Work program and really what kind of inspired the creation of such a program?
00:02:47 Shay Jones-Vitale
Sure. So I just, I think a lot of markets are heading towards holistic wellness as a way to, care for their workforce, to retain people, to just see beyond productivity and knowing that when we focus on the whole person, it just supports the whole workplace in general. And so it’s more than just getting a job, keeping a job.
And so as far as EDSI goes, I feel like we’re doing a really great job of being a front runner in this kind of shift in integration.
So maybe about, I started in 2020 and about a year and a half, two years before I started, there was a pilot program in Southeast Pennsylvania where they wanted to see how we could make it easier for participants to access mental health. And that shifted into such great outcomes that the state identified it as a need.
And they started writing it into procedures and policies that our job seekers that were in our EARN program that were, you know, dealing with multiple barriers would have access to that mental health support as well. And it’s just taken off from there. It’s become almost a best practice across our state.
And now as EDSI, my role developed as I came in as a behavioral health person and we realized that we needed more support. We needed to feel in a company of 800 plus, 10 of us, how do we also keep building this macro social work piece in a way that supports the system. So we developed my role as almost a consultant for the leaders, the support for the leaders hiring the mental health professionals.
But as well, we’re a team of our own where we now have a best practice for what we do. What does that look like? So we like to use the tagline, we stabilize and support. We bridge the gap.
And so it’s a very approachable way for folks who maybe don’t want traditional therapy or there’s a wait list to get into that. They’re able to access us in a more approachable way.
We host workshops, psychoeducation groups, and just helping staff become more prepared to triage and handle any mental health concerns that come to the front desk.
00:05:08 Alexis Franks
Wow, that sounds like a lot of good work. And I think we hear it across the board in multiple organizations and across industries, that mental health piece is really critical for retaining employees.
It’s no longer just about the technical or the soft, what we consider soft skills. It’s really how are we supporting our teams and being successful.
So it sounds like that recognition of this is a service and a program that we need is essential. So I’m so glad to see those types of initiatives really sticking and helping others across teams.
And you talked a little bit, Shay, about what some of those activities look like. And so I think in our minds, when we think about wellness, mental health and wellness, that we traditionally think of therapy programs and meeting with someone and sharing and talking through obstacles and problems.
But I love how you said this is a much more approachable way to receive that service. Can you talk a little bit about what some of those workshops look like?
00:06:20 Shay Jones-Vitale
Absolutely. Yeah. So it’s really encouraging and embracing a culture of self-awareness and also just leaning into growth and empowerment. We have branded, again, like how do we speak to what we’re doing? How do we shape this for the unique niche that we’re in? And we just, over time, realize that you have to be well to work.
And so that’s the buy-in for all of us, is that it’s not just about us securing jobs. It’s helping to provide individuals with ongoing knowledge and skills so they can maintain those positive changes long term. And so we also want to equip them with things like the wellness wheel.
So SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, they do a great job of, they have a wellness initiative where they want people to understand how all our dimensions of wellness are so interconnected.
And that’s kind of the theory that we drive on too is how can we show up as our best selves if we have issues with housing or we have interpersonal conflicts happening or we don’t have running water to get to a shower, to get to the interview.
So it’s a lot more than just how do you interview, it’s how do you care for yourself and compartmentalize and look at all these different areas of workforce readiness, including that mental well-being.
And also just knowing that we’re leaning into, as a society, the importance of social-emotional learning. And many of us adults did not get that.
And so it’s more than just the life skills, it’s understanding we have to be regulated in order to be effective leaders in order to handle the ebbs and flows that come at us.
And especially just, basic level, if we have people that are just starting out or young adults, this may be new concept for them as well.
So just finding ways that if we’re not built into a program and there isn’t a position for us, how do we share the behavioral health advocate that is inside the company?
How do we get them to, again, have staff development trainings where we’re talking about Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, or we’re talking about polyvagal theory with dysregulated nervous systems and teaching mindfulness practices, we can, again, teach Amanda Fish.
We’re also teaching our staff that you may not have a behavioral health person on staff like we do, but here’s how you also can have knowledge and skills to triage. That looks like an escalation. How do we turn that challenge into a safe space for the rest of the staff?
How do we get, how do we have these difficult conversations with our job seekers when we’re seeing they may not be workforce ready due to the mental health barrier?
So it’s just an overall cost-effective, approachable way. And we use the word psychoeducation. It just takes these very big topics and applies them in a easy to understand and also how does that apply to workforce? Why should I care? How does it show up in my workplace?
And it’s just been a really cool, you know, evolution of what we thought it would be and what it’s turning out to be.
00:09:26 Alexis Franks
That does sound like it is very intense, but it breaks it down into some really bite size, how can I use this and implement this in my daily life type of learning. So I think that’s exciting to hear as well.
And you mentioned it, Shay. I think I’m seeing it more because of just having a young child in education, but yes, it’s being integrated in so many other ways.
It’s important for us to integrate it into our lives as adults and learning those skills as adults as well. So I definitely appreciate what you said there.
And some of those strategies and techniques for workforce professionals, they may not be or have the access to maybe a mental health trainer or a first aid trainer for those specific skills?
Could you share maybe just one or two techniques that any one of our listeners may be able to implement in a short amount of time, just something quick that you might be able to share?
00:10:33 Shay Jones-Vitale
Absolutely. So there’s so many ways we can ground ourselves in the moment. And I think when we’re talking about de-escalation, we often think about de-escalating the customer in front of us, but it starts with de-escalating ourself and making sure that we are grounded in our body and we’re tuning into any physiological responses to anger or anxiety or discomfort.
And just again, practicing that self-care and burnout protection for our staff. One thing we can do is when we get regulated is to acknowledge it, observe it, name it, and then we need to move forward with how do I respond verse react? So I think respond verse react is a great way. I keep that as a sticky note sometimes.
And then also another kind of acronym is Q-TIP, quit taking it personally, because oftentimes it’s not about what you’re seeing in front of you. There’s so many other layers beyond the surface. So just knowing that we can have empathy and understanding and try to understand the client while we still are applying boundaries for safety.
So yeah, anytime we can lean into mindfulness practices, that’s not about having to have 45 minutes on a yoga mat. It’s about just tuning in, being aware and practicing my own good mental wellness. That just makes me more prepared for the stressful interactions I might have.
00:11:57 Alexis Franks
Those are some great strategies that could really be helpful to any listener, to all workforce professionals and anyone in general. That Q-tip, I love that. And then really being able to respond versus react. Those are some quick things that we can stop and take a minute and really implement into our daily work life and outside of work as well.
So thank you for sharing some of those techniques. I’ll definitely have to try that myself. So we appreciate it. I appreciate that.
And Shay, I didn’t want to keep you for too long. I do just have one more question for you today.
If you could, what advice would you give any organization that is interested in incorporating some type of mental health or wellness to work program in their local communities or for their teams?
00:12:53 Shay Jones-Vitale
Absolutely. Great question. It goes back to just the human-centered design.
We don’t want to make assumptions for what our population needs. That includes our staff, our office culture, our demographic.
We want to ask questions. We want to ask questions. We want to try things out. We want to be open to receiving feedback and being able to go with the flow.
And so again, just letting go of rigidity and increasing your curiosity. And it does start, I think, with just like signing up for some of our local organizations that might be doing some integrated wellness in your community, staff development trainings.
We started by getting myself trained as a mental health first aid instructor, and that’s an international three-year certification. And we have prided ourselves on getting other instructors trained in our organizations.
And we have across multiple states and EDSI trained our workforce staff. Over 150 staff have been trained in a handful of states. And this started because somebody wondered how.
And so I think just keep wondering how and finding cost-effective, approachable solutions that work for you. It’s not one-size-fits-all.
And I think being open whenever it’s grassroots, just being open to the curiosity and the compassion and the willingness to make mistakes and then try again.
00:14:21 Alexis Franks
That is great advice, Shay. Asking questions, being open to receiving feedback, and really trying to implement such programs and services in a way that job seekers and customers and staff can benefit. So that’s excellent.
Thank you so much for that advice.
00:14:42 Shay Jones-Vitale
You’re welcome. And Alexis, I do want to encourage listeners to go to our EDSI.com page. We created a pillar page on Wellness to Work.
And so if anybody wants to read more about what we’re doing, look at some of our blog posts and get ideas, or even reach out to our EDSI consultants for more information, we’re always happy to share the knowledge.
00:15:06 Alexis Franks
Awesome, awesome. Well, Shay, here on Workforce on the Mic, we do have what we call mic drop moments.
So you have given us some of our mic drop moments for today’s episode to really utilize and implement Q-Tip, respond versus react. Don’t take it personal.
And then for that advice for organizations to really ask questions and be curious about how they can implement mental health wellness into their programs and for their teams.
So we thank you so much for those mic drop moments and for joining us today and sharing a little bit more about the work that is happening with EDSI and the Wellness to Work program.
Shay, I think you shared a little bit of it already, but if anyone would like to learn more, where can they go and how would they be able to connect with you professionally?
00:16:01 Shay Jones-Vitale
Sure. So I’m professionally on LinkedIn, Shalia Jones Vitale. You can find me as Shay Jones Vitale. And as well, I am employed at EDSI. So you can reach me at SHAYJONES@EDSI.com.
You can also connect on our EDSI pillar page, which I will drop the link to Alexis and she can share that with you. And you can reach out, see some of the great content that we’re doing, and e-mail our team for more information.
00:16:35 Alexis Franks
Perfect. Thank you so much again for joining us today. We definitely appreciate, as always, the support that EDSI has shown for NAWDP. And we look forward to connecting with you again in the future.
00:16:49 Shay Jones-Vitale
Thanks, Alexis. I appreciate it.
00:16:51 Promo
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00:17:23 Conclusion
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To learn more about NAWDP and to become a member, visit www.nawdp.org. That’s www.nawdp.org.
