When Intermountain Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselor Barbara Lester visited the country Myanmar two years ago on a humanitarian trip, she didn’t know her EAP colleagues’ work would help some Myanmar healthcare workers years later.
“I went to Myanmar to work with a social work program and I’ve stayed in contact with the friends I made there,” says Barbara.
The country has changed since Barbara’s visit. Myanmar is currently experiencing a military coup following the results of their general election. There are ongoing violent protests happening daily among military forces and civilians and protesters. The country experienced its deadliest protest day on March 27.
Barbara Lester
“Last week, I spoke to a friend of mine who is in Myanmar organizing emergency medical assistance for civilians and protesters,” Barbara says. “She wanted ideas on how to help their frontline healthcare workers deal with the daily trauma they’re experiencing.”
Barbara reflected on her personal experience in Myanmar providing trauma treatment strategies and recognized some work EAP has done over the past year with caregivers navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and wondered if they’d work in cross-cultural context.
“I shared two training links with my friend: Wellness exercises for worry and anxiety from my colleague Diane Passey, and self-care techniques for frontline caregivers from my colleague Corinne,” says Barbara.
So far, the videos have been well-received and very helpful.
“If our work can be shared, and if someone who’s experiencing stress or trauma can be helped, then it warms my heart,” says Diane.
Barbara says, “It’s very meaningful that tools that can help our caregivers here navigate trauma can also help frontline workers in foreign countries. This speaks to why it’s helpful to access EAP: We can provide support for managing trauma and other life challenges, even when those challenges vary person to person.”
More about EAP. Caregivers and their immediate family members can contact the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for free confidential counseling. EAP offers one-on-one appointments, drop-in group CARE sessions, and virtual self-care recordings. To schedule an appointment, call 801-442-3509 or toll free 1-800-832-7733. Appointments are available within five days of your call, and often sooner. You can also call those same numbers 24/7 to speak to a counselor for urgent situations, too.