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This episode addresses NICU staff mental health with Dr. Chavis Patterson, PhD (Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia). He reviews common problems—toxic stress, compassion fatigue, irritability, sleep disturbance—and practical mitigation strategies: brief micro-practices (five-minute arrival/departure routines), peer debriefs (e.g., “pink flags”), unit multidisciplinary check-ins, and institutional resources such as employee assistance programs and embedded NICU psychologists. Patterson stresses normalizing emotional responses, reducing stigma around seeking psychotherapy, and building structural supports by advocating for funded on-unit psychology positions. Immediate actions: start regular team debriefs, map local mental-health resources, pilot embedded psychology coverage, and lead institutional advocacy to make staff mental health standard NICU practice.

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