HR Works 115: Behavioral Health Support Has Never Been More Important

The isolation of stay at home orders are accelerating behavioral health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic, but even during the best of times, making sure you are aware of the mental health needs of your employees is very important. That means understanding risk factors, having a well trained HR team to handle everything from benefits to interacting with employees when they have a crisis. In this episode of HR Works we discuss this important topic with Dr. Dan Jolivet, Workplace Possibilities Practice Consultant at The Standard. (www.standard.com/bhpodcast) Dan started working in the behavioral health field in 1980 as he was completing a degree in mathematical statistics and wanted to get some hands-on experience in an applied scientific discipline. His first direct service job in the field was a 1981 work-study position at a Community Mental Health Center (CMHC) in Seattle, where he quickly became hooked on trying to understand how people change. Dan has held a variety of roles throughout his career. He has worked in inpatient hospitals, residential treatment centers, partial hospitalization programs, intensive outpatient programs, employee assistance programs and in private practice. He moved into supervision to multiply his impact and began working in managed care soon after that. He joined The Standard as its Behavioral Health Director in 2016 and says his favorite part of the job is still helping people—both claimants and people on his team—find solutions to seemingly intractable problems.