Psych Health and Safety Podcast USA

In celebration of National Preparedness Month, host Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with emergency management professional Deborah Needham about the focus of her research into neuroscience and the effect of stress, emergencies, and disasters on human decision-making. Since its inception in 2004, National Preparedness Month has been observed each September in the United States. It is sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) within the Department of Homeland Security and encourages Americans to prepare for emergencies in their communities. An essential component of emergency preparedness and response is the ability to make decisions focused on preserving life, property, and the environment. Often, decisions in emergencies are described as “split-second decisions.” Still, the basis of these decisions tends to be lived experiences, not only in similar situations but in dissimilar ones. These decisions can have a lasting effect on those impacted by the incident, emergency, or disaster and on the person who makes the decision. Sometimes, these decisions set up a lifetime of mental and emotional challenges for all involved. Ms. Needham will share her expertise in crisis decision-making from emergency management and neuroscientific perspectives.

This week, Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Doug Castro, an experienced safety trainer with Channel 4 Training and a Veriforce Strategic Advisory Board member. Among his many certifications and qualification as a safety professional and trainer, he is also bi-lingual, which is worthy of mention, given the country’s National Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. It’s hard to argue that there is any more effective strategy to address physical or psychosocial hazards than providing training. Often, workers get exposed to psychosocial hazards due to a lack of understanding of the hazard, an underestimation of their degree of vulnerability, and the extent of harm they will experience. A lack of information or training to support work performance is in and of itself a psychosocial hazard. In fact, training, specifically understandable training, maybe one of the essential strategies to improve an organization's physical or psychological safety. Many OSHA standards require that employees receive training so that work will be performed in a safe and healthful manner. Some of these standards require "training" or "instruction," others require "adequate" or "effective" training or instruction, and still others require training "in a manner" or "in language" that is understandable to employees. It is OSHA’s position that, regardless of the precise regulatory language, the terms "train" and "instruct," as well as other synonyms, mean to present information in a manner that employees receiving it can understand. Unfortunately, organizations consider training more of a luxury than a strategy when addressing safety and organizational performance. Also, some training programs are well-funded but poorly executed in that that there is an assumption that every worker learns the same way. This is particularly important as it relates to the language in which the training is delivered. Doug will share some of his lived experience and passion for focusing on safety and training as an essential safety strategy.

This episode went live on the 09/08/2023 and is a follow-up to Episode 51 with Kahlilah Guyah, Ken Clayman, and Dr. Allensandria Pollizi.

This episode host, Dr. I. David Daniels, will speak with Adilah Anwar Holivay about her interest, activism, and writings regarding cannabis. This is another in our series of conversations regarding therapeutic approaches to psychosocial hazard exposure. In this case, we are discussing Cannabis. There are probably some right now who are asking, “What does weed have to do with Psychological Health and Safety?” This is not intended to be a conversation about legal vs. illegal or benefit vs. potential harm but an acknowledgment that 23 states have legalized recreational use, and 38 states, three territories, and the District of Columbia allow the medical use of Cannabis. People use it, and many do so as a direct response to exposure to psychosocial hazards. Though it is still a Schedule 1 drug in the United States, the reality is that there are millions of people in this country who use cannabis or cannabis-related products for both recreational and medical purposes. There are also thriving business enterprises based on Cannabis. There are ongoing discussions in the business community about substance use testing and how to address potential impairment from cannabis and other substances in the workplace. However, many workplaces have very different work rules for those that use cannabis for stress and pain relief as opposed to other substances, including legal substances like alcohol and opiates. Adilah will share her observation that is based on discoveries she has come to understand in her pursuit of technology solutions to cyber criminality in the financial industry and the inconsistent ways in which the industry as a whole, business owners, and users of cannabis are treated in workplaces in different places in the country.

In this episode, Dr. I. David Daniels will talk with Deb Griffin, a therapist, non-profit board chair, and art enthusiast, about art, culture, their therapeutic value, and connection to safety. This continues our conversations about therapeutic responses to exposure to psychosocial hazards. The therapeutic potential of art is vast and applicable to individuals of all age groups. Art therapy, formally established in the 1940s, allows clients to express their inner thoughts, feelings, and experiences creatively. A literature review on art therapy reveals that therapists frequently assign patients' freeform art expressions to help discuss the images and encourage introspection. When combined with talk therapy, art therapy aids individuals in managing intense emotions, fostering self-awareness and self-worth, and decreasing stress and anxiety. This therapeutic approach encompasses various creative expressions, such as dance, music, drawing, painting, coloring, sculpting, and more. Ms. Griffin has built on her natural interest in people, her training, and her experience as a therapist, combined with her love of the arts and her role as chair of the Board of Directors of the South Fulton Institute to share and facilitate the introduction of art into places and spaces that have traditionally been left out to the conversation. https://www.oneworkplace.com/blog/art-at-work-measuring-its-impact-and-value https://theconversation.com/brain-research-shows-the-arts-promote-mental-health-136668

In this episode, Dr. I. David Daniels will talk to Dr. Jim Feng, a mission-driven serial entrepreneur who founded Phyxable Inc. Phyxable is an end-to-end virtual pain and prevention platform that uses machine learning, augmented reality, and gamification to coach people out of pain while empowering them with tools to produce better performance. Alongside his Chiropractic degree, Dr. Feng is also a Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist and Medical Acupuncturist. He has directed medical teams for world championship and Olympic Level competition in mixed martial arts and wrestling. This episode is the first in a series that will focus on how people cope with being exposed to psychosocial hazards in the workplace. Often, workers become acquainted with a physical therapist in the aftermath of a workplace injury. This practice is also known as physiotherapy. This conversation will include a variety of strategies that Dr. Feng uses to help people address everything from chronic pain to high Caliber athletic competition, including telemedicine, virtual physiotherapy, and medical technology platforms. Dr. Feng believes that attention to the mind and body are both essential components to addressing psychosocial hazards in the workplace in the pursuit of a safe and healthy work environment.

In this episode, Dr. I. David Daniels will speak with Sandra Jean, a Human Resource Executive and a Licensed Attorney. She is also the author of the best-selling book “Human Resources: A Practical Guide on Effective Workplace Management” and founder of the Jean Consulting Group. Too often, when HR professionals are consulted about workers’ mental and emotional health, it is because there is a problem that has occurred or a worker is having some mental or emotional issue that people leaders are unable to address. Attorneys are consulted when an employee is threatening or has filed a legal action or an employer has taken an employment action that the worker sees as not in their interest. Based on her Labor and Employment Attorney practice and experience as a Human Resources Executive, Sandra Jean has been involved at both ends of these conversations, including representing labor unions and companies in human resource-related legal matters and negotiations. Ms. Jean will share several tips regarding how an organization can be psychologically safer for workers while at the same time being productive and profitable for employers by focusing on the relationship between the organotin and the human being that is a part of the organization. Both goals are achievable before she is asked to defend or initiate legal action to achieve the same ends.

Michael Flynn, a Cultural Anthropologist, discusses the impact of 'in-groups' and 'out-groups' on physical and psychological safety. He explores the importance of recognizing assumptions, challenging outdated systems, and reshaping cultural norms. The podcast also discusses power dynamics in work environments, the interconnectedness between diversity, equity, inclusion, and safety, and strategies for addressing employee issues while maintaining authenticity.

In this episode, Dr. I. David Daniels speaks with a former litigator and firefighter, Shannon Sedlacek, about how her experience in two extremely high-pressure occupations has prepared her to assist and coach others in their efforts at high performance in high-pressure situations. While progress is being made, there are and will be for a while to come high-pressure environments that produce high levels of stress that need human beings to be successful. These humans need the tools to be able to withstand these high-pressure situations. So where can we go? Enter Shannon Sedlacek. She was a competitive athlete before finding the same kind of competitive energy when she became a corporate lawyer in a prestigious law firm. While the work was stimulating, she decided she wanted to be someone other than the person the profession would have required her to be. In her late 30s, she decided to become a firefighter. Despite several setbacks and challenges, she completed a career that included a promotion as the first female fire lieutenant in the history of the city she worked in, and she is now a corporate coach for organizations and individuals seeking high performance in situations where high stress is the norm.

Chris Linton, risk and compliance professional, discusses the importance of both leading and lagging indicators in creating a safe culture. He explores the integration and differences between risk management and safety activities, as well as the challenges of safety and risk management conversations within a business environment. The podcast also touches on the changing work environment and the need for organizations to adapt. Overall, it emphasizes the importance of valuing human capital and integrating psychological considerations into safety and risk management.