The demanding nature of their work often puts the well-being of caregivers at risk. Just as it offers healing, therapy can be a vital medicine for professional healthcare providers and direct caregivers, providing them with a safe space to process their experiences and maintain a healthy mind. Medical training often minimizes self-care, but prioritizing one's well-being is essential for professionals to effectively help others.

For a dose of mental health medicine for mental health professionals, Harvesting Happiness Podcast Host Lisa Cypers Kamen speaks with the Chief Wellness Officer of the University of Tennessee System and author, Jessi Gold, MD. 

As a mental health advocate, Jessi upends the conventional notions of well-being, asserting it is far more than just showing up for work. She highlights the needless stigma surrounding mental health therapy, often exacerbated by traditional medical training, and the problems that arise when emotions are suppressed. This perspective formed the inspiration for her book, How Do You Feel?: One Doctor's Search for Humanity in Medicine.

Jessi Gold — Mental Health Care is Medicine:

• Output is not a measuring tool for wellbeing  {2:29}
• Jessi offers a glimpse into the art and science of psychiatry. {4:54}
• The stigma of mental health adds pressure for mental health professionals. {18:13}
• Mental health medicine is hard work. {23:09}
• Outsourcing mental health support saves relationships. {30:27}

Meet Our Guest:

Psychiatrist Jessi Gold, MD, MS, is the Chief Wellness Officer of the University of Tennessee System and an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. A fierce mental health advocate and highly sought-after expert, Dr. Gold has written widely for the popular press. In her clinical practice, she sees healthcare workers, trainees, and young adults in college.

“There is a stigma around [mental health care] needlessly, and sadly.” - Lisa Cypers Kamen

Like what you're hearing? Slip on over to www.harvestinghappiness.com for more!