Professional Support

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Help & Support

Reaching out for help when you need it is a sign of courage, not weakness. If you are struggling with physical or emotional exhaustion, no longer feel competent in your role, feel emotionally numb, or have lost your sense of compassion, you may be heading towards burnout. If so, you might benefit from professional support.

 

Equally if you are experiencing symptoms related to primary or secondary traumatic stress, it could be invaluable to work with someone who can help you process and release the trauma, so that you can re-connect with a sense of calm, steadiness or inner peace. Professional support can be invaluable in helping you rebalance your life, or reignite the enthusiasm for your work.


Whatever is happening, if you can’t see a way forward, or find it hard to implement supportive strategies, I encourage you to seek professional help, whether it be from a supervisor, counsellor, psychotherapist, psychologist, your doctor or life coach. Reaching out for support could be one of the greatest gifts you give yourself.

When you judge yourself for needing help, you judge those you are helping. When you attach value to giving help, you attach value to needing help.

Here is a list of organizations that you might find helpful:

For more general mental health support you can always speak to an organisation such as Samaritans, Mind and CALM or the NHS.


The NHS Mood Zone offers practical information, interactive tools and videos to help you look after your mental health.
The NHS Mood self-assessment quiz is based on tests commonly used by GPs to assess whether someone is stressed, anxious or depressed.


Togetherall is an anonymous online community where you can access peer support via the chat service. Trained professionals are available 24/7 to keep the community safe. www.togetherall.com

 

Whatever your speciality, if you work in health or social care, it’s likely that your professional body will offer support, and I encourage you to contact them. For example, if you are a social worker, the BASW offer a professional support service for their members. https://www.basw.co.uk/professional-support-service/

 

Alternatively, especially if some of the challenges in your life are unrelated to work, you may prefer to seek help from a counselor or psychotherapist directly.

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Support for Doctors

Wellbeing support services for doctors and medical students in the UK.

Here is a link to a document that the BMA has compiled, which outlines a wide range of support services for doctors and medical students. If you are need of support remember that reaching out for help is a sign of courage, not vulnerability.


https://www.bma.org.uk/media/3600/bma-wellbeing-support-services-contacts-december-2020.pdf

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Wellbeing support services for nurses
and midwives in the UK

Here are some options for when you are in need of support.

The Royal College of Nursing

One of the best places to start is the https://www.rcn.org.uk/get-help/member-support-services/counselling-service/

 

RCN’s Counselling Service. This offers RCN members free, confidential support and assistance to help you deal with challenging, emotional issues you may face, whether work-related or personal. You can call on 0345 772 6100 between 8.30 am and 8.30 pm, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The counselling service operates over the telephone so you can access counselling at a time that suits you. One of their counsellors will phone you at an agreed time.

 

The RCN’s booklet Stress and You: a guide for nursing staff advises how you can reduce stress and manage your responses more effectively, as well as what support to expect from your employer.
https://www.rcn.org.uk/professional-development/publications/pub-004967

 

The RCN also offers help and advice on a range of workplace issues.

Nursing & Midwifery Council

The NMC also recently introduced a new emotional and practical support service for nursing and midwifery professionals involved in fitness to practise. They’ve partnered with CiC, a leading employee assistance provider, to give mental health support in the workplace advice and practical help and advice to all nurses, midwives and nursing associates during the fitness to practise process.

 

You can contact the Fitness to Practice Careline on 0800 587 7396 completely free, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

The Queens Nursing Institute

If you are going through a time of personal crisis such as physical or mental illness, trying to escape domestic abuse, or maybe experiencing a life crisis, such as eviction, family health problems, marriage breakdown or bereavement The Queens Nursing Institute may be able to help you.

 

https://www.qni.org.uk/help-for-nurses/

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