MADISON, Wis. – Throughout the pandemic, we know our frontline workers were front and center in helping our families and friends make it through the worst of times.
UnityPoint Health – Meriter recognized the struggles and trauma their ICU staff was dealing with and wanted to provide a supportive and healing environment.
The ICU staff has been working with a licensed therapist to have group therapies. Recently, the trauma recovery groups tried something a bit different and took their therapy outside to experiment with nature and talk therapy.
“We recognize that being out there, being physical and in nature can be so healing,” said employee wellness manager Emily Borenitsch. “It gives us a chance to kind of leave the chaos on land, get out in the middle of the water, sort of be with ourselves or with others if it’s something you want to do with others. It’s another way to get in some movement, relieve that stress, and really kind of focus on the beauty and the presence around us.”
The Meriter staff kayaked on Bad Fish Creek with their therapist for therapy sessions right on the water to learn about different, active coping skills. The boats are provided by Brittingham Boats in Madison, who Meriter has had a long standing relationship with.
They do this in different groups at Meriter, while they are on the clock, of course keeping in mind schedules and making sure the ICU floors keep their normal coverage.
As the hospital and community leans heavily on their staff, ICU managers say it’s important to have those conversations with team members outside of work to break down those barriers.
“I think for your own mental health, you need to be able to figure out what you’ve been through, and process it, and name that emotion, and feel it,” said ICU nurse manager Marzena Schumann. “It’s hard. It’s hard to feel these emotions. It’s hard to reflect on what’s happened to you. You want to just dismiss it and pretend it never happened, but in order to move on, we need to be able to acknowledge what happened, what we are feeling, because our body is going through it whether we’re willing to acknowledge it or not.”
Schumann says those working the ICU tend to hold things internally, so it’s crucial to work through personal and group struggles.
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