Dive into Episode #125 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Ernie Brooks, a positivity and relaxation instructor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Mr. Brooks is also active with students at his alma mater, Anna Maria College, as a member of the alumni association Board of Directors. He prides himself in creating genuine connections with students and safe spaces for them to be their best selves as they navigate the college experience. In the 2024 World Happiness Report, the United States ranks 23rd, the first time in the report's history that the U.S. has fallen out of the top 20. The U.S. was ranked 15th in 2023. The report also indicated that young people, particularly those aged 15-24 (Generation Z), report lower happiness levels than older generations in many regions, including North America, Western Europe, the Middle East, and South Asia. Concerns about their future, economic instability, and mental health contribute to this trend; essentially, they feel less happy than their elders. These data suggest that organizations of all types and sizes should expect that Gen Z will need support from a mental health perspective. To support Gen Z mental health, organizations should prioritize providing readily accessible mental health resources, promoting work-life balance, offering flexible work arrangements, educating leaders on recognizing mental health concerns, incorporating stress management tools, and fostering a culture that openly discusses mental health issues, including utilizing platforms like meditation apps and wellness programs tailored to Gen Z's needs. In this elective course, Ernie is seeking to meet students where they are and provide them with roles that will help them be more positive and relaxed in their education pursuits and in their lives.

Dive into Episode #124 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Jeffe Sease, with Predictive Safety, a company that provides technology solutions to help organizations predict potential safety issues before they become problems by providing data on workers' fatigue states. Predictive Safety Analysis involves leveraging data, technology, and analytical tools to anticipate safety issues. It allows organizations to take preventive measures and create a safer working environment. It's about foreseeing and addressing safety concerns before they become incidents. The importance of workplace safety cannot be overstated. Beyond legal compliance, fostering a secure work environment is a moral obligation and a key driver of employee well-being and productivity. Organizations that prioritize safety contribute to a positive workplace culture and build trust among their workforce.

Dive into Episode #123 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Cory Worden, an Air Force Veteran and Safety Manager with the City of Houston, Texas, who oversees health and safety for many of the city’s most hazardous occupations, including the fire, police, and emergency management functions. Cory brings his experience from the military into the public sector, focused on some of the most significant safety challenges that face the 4th largest city in the United States. Public sector work can be high hazard due to many factors, including: • Public employees face a variety of hazards, including exposure to toxic chemicals, blood-borne diseases, and indoor air pollution. • Public employees are at a higher risk of assault and violence at work from clients, patients, and others. • State and local public-sector employees are 64% more likely to be injured than private-sector employees. Public sector workers also face many mental health challenges, including: • Workers, especially educators, health care workers, and law enforcement officials, can experience trauma and secondary trauma from their work. Secondary trauma is the emotional distress that occurs when hearing about someone else's traumatic experiences. • Workers are often exposed to life-threatening situations and emergencies, which can lead to job-related stress

Dive into Episode #122 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Amir Rashidian, a chiropractor of over 20 years. Dr. Rishidian pulls back the curtain and establishes that chiropractic science is more than back and spinal alignment. Chiropractic adjustments have been shown to positively affect mental health by reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. By correcting misalignments in the spine, chiropractic care can improve nerve function, promoting better mental and emotional well-being. When the spine is aligned correctly, nerve signals can flow more freely, allowing the body to function optimally. Studies have shown that chiropractic adjustments can help regulate the release of stress hormones, such as cortisol, and increase the production of endorphins, which are natural mood enhancers. Additionally, chiropractic care has been found to improve sleep quality, which is crucial for maintaining good mental health.

Dive into Episode #121 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Cipriano Belser, the Executive Director of the Southern California Council for Occupational Safety and Health (SoCalCOSH). Mr. Belser shares his experience as a low-wage worker who transitioned into Occupational Health and Safety and his role with SoCalCOSH, which advocates for the health and safety of workers who are exposed to a variety of psychosocial and physical hazards. Low-wage workers often face several safety issues that can significantly impact their health and well-being. One of the primary concerns is hazardous working conditions. Many low-wage jobs are in construction, agriculture, and food service industries, where workers are exposed to dangerous equipment, chemicals, and environments. Another critical issue is the need for proper training. Employers are required to provide adequate training on safety protocols, but they sometimes fail to do so, increasing the risk of accidents and injuries. Inadequate safety equipment is also a common problem. Workers might lack access to protective gear, such as gloves, helmets, or masks, which can lead to injuries or long-term health issues. These safety issues disproportionately impact vulnerable groups, including women, people of color, and immigrants. These groups are more likely to be in low-wage jobs and face these safety challenges at higher rates.

Dive into Episode #120 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Rich Walsh, a Vice President with Amp Health, a business intelligence company that seeks to help the manufacturing sector with predictive approaches to minimize worker overexertion. Overexertion happens when you push your mind and/or body beyond its limits, resulting in fatigue, pain, and sometimes injury. It can be caused by physical or mental exertion and can occur in the workplace or your daily life: Physical overexertion can occur when lifting heavy objects, performing repetitive motions, or maintaining awkward postures. It can also be caused by working in extreme temperatures, such as hot environments that cause heat stress or cold environments that reduce blood flow. Mental overexertion, also known as mental exhaustion or mental fatigue, is a state of extreme tiredness that can affect your mood, focus, and decision-making skills. It can occur when your brain is overstimulated or maintains a high activity level without rest.

Dive into Episode #119 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Andre Schaffer, MD, a former firefighter and now board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Many occupations are widely believed to be “dream jobs,” These dream jobs often inspire young people to seek to design their lives around the opportunity. Some occupations are so appealing that young people start doing the things necessary to get into a career or job early. Often, these early efforts pay off, and highly motivated young individuals end up in their dream jobs. However, not everything that glitters is gold. For any number of reasons, what may have been a dream changes. How do people respond when the dream is not as satisfying as expected? One option is to give up and descend into depression as a result of your dreams being dashed. Another option is to seek out an even greater challenge. In this podcast episode, we have the pleasure of speaking with someone who has lived the latter. After spending years preparing for one career and entering extremely young, he discovered that there was something that the first career did not satisfy, so he set off to do something that some may have believed impossible. Dr. Schaffer shares his journey from a high schooler interested in becoming a firefighter who decided that he wanted to do more. This desire led him to apply to Cornell Medical School and get accepted on the first try. All this even though he was, while smart, a below-average high school student and was living with ADHD. Dr. Schaffer now helps his patients not only recover physically but also on the road to a healthy mindset.

Dive into Episode #118 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Dr. Jacob Kendall, discussing his experience dealing with chronic pain and advocating for his health using an interdisciplinary approach. Physical pain is your body’s way of letting you know something is wrong. It leads you to address ailments or seek treatment for injuries. However, there’s also a psychological aspect to pain. People who experience chronic pain are much more likely to develop mood and anxiety disorders. Persistent chronic pain can make you feel depressed and hopeless, leave you feeling anxious as you ruminate over your condition, or result in an addiction to pain medication. These feelings can then exacerbate the pain you’re experiencing. In this conversation, Dr. Kendall shares his lived experience advocating for his health through the complexities of the healthcare system and helping others advocate for themselves through an interdisciplinary approach driven by four-dimensional thinking.

Dive into Episode #117 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Juli Nixon, who shares her story of survival and recovery from a toxic work environment. A toxic work culture is an organizational environment characterized by negativity, dysfunction, and a lack of trust. It can harm employees, preventing them from being productive and growing professionally. Some signs of a toxic work culture include: • Management expects employees to work longer hours without additional pay, fail to listen to employees, or lack accountability. • The organization may have unfair practices like biased promotions or rewards or tacitly reward unethical or harmful behavior. • There may be poor communication, limited communication, or a lack of healthy boundaries. • Employees may experience bullying, harassment, discrimination, micromanagement, or favoritism. They may also gossip, create drama, or take credit for the work of others. Juli’s story is recognizable to many and includes her path to recovery and her thoughts about how organizational cultures can be less toxic and individuals feel safer.

Dive into Episode #116 of the Psych Health and Safety USA Podcast, featuring host Dr. I. David Daniels, PhD, CSD, VPS, and special guest Mark Tuggle, an author and advocate for mental health in black men. Black men in the United States can face many challenges when seeking mental health help due to several factors, including: - The Black community has historically viewed mental illness as a sign of weakness or lack of faith. This stigma can make Black men feel ashamed or embarrassed to seek help and can lead to them not being open to discussing or acknowledging their mental health. - One study found that 63% of Black people believe that a mental health condition is a sign of personal weakness. The stigma can also be rooted in slavery when it was commonly thought that enslaved people were not sophisticated enough to develop mental health disorders. - Black men may also face barriers to mental health services due to poverty, racism, and implicit bias from medical providers. They are less likely than white people to receive guideline-consistent care or to be included in mental health research. As a result, Black men are more likely to use emergency rooms or primary care for mental health problems. Mark began in therapy in the mid-90s after being diagnosed with an illness that he feared would take his life. After years in therapy, he began to realize that his experience was not unique, and he believed that he could not only recover himself but he could use his experience to advocate for other black men in discussions about mental health.