Jennifer Kujacz, a newly qualified Health Psychologist, blogs about her time working on staff wellbeing within the NCA.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, it was a difficult time for the research team who were largely involved with recruiting to clinical trials that aimed to help find suitable treatments for the virus that killed so many. Much like the rest of the NHS, the research team were overwhelmed with a huge workload, and felt the strain both inside and outside of work. To try and improve staff morale, a wellbeing group was set up and conducted via Microsoft teams.
I liaised with our managers Grainne O’Connor and Lyndsay Scarratt to arrange a short time from work to allow staff to attend. I provided some education around stress, stress management and self-compassion and how we are programmed to be more self-critical. We practised lots of different exercises to allow the team to think more self-compassionately. These sessions were completed as part of my Professional Doctorate in Health Psychology, and were continued after a set number of sessions face-to-face to allow staff some time to practise mindfulness.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a skill that allows someone to be fully present in the moment without judgement. It take practice, but can have a huge impact in helping someone feel relaxed and less stressed as a result. Practising mindfulness allows us to become better at using it during times when we become overwhelmed and stressed and is a great tool for psychological wellbeing. The research team regularly practised mindfulness exercises such as ‘leaves on a stream’ and ‘the body scan’ that I facilitated.
After the pandemic, I wanted to continue to practise and got in touch with the wellbeing lead for the NCA. I was invited to become a REACT mental health trainer – a course which helps staff by providing a stepped approach for having difficult conversations around mental health and suicide. I also become a mental health champion and feedback any new changes the trust have created to help staff with wellbeing. I have since been involved with the Trust’s well woman’s and well man’s strategy group, which develops policies and events aimed at improving access to help and support for all NCA staff.
Complementary therapy
When the opportunity arose, my colleague Chloe Rishton and I undertook a complementary therapy course so that we can offer shoulder, neck and head massages to our team. We have also attended Trust events so that we can help other teams by providing them with a short time to relax on shift. We’ve now developed a small relaxation room in our office, with mood lighting, a massage bed and use the screen to display nice scenes to go along with our spa music. We try to offer this session once a month to our team.
The completion of the Professional Doctorate and training in Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT) has taught me a lot about myself and my own wellbeing, and I want to continue to share what I have learnt about how our brains work and what power it can have against us and our wellbeing. I feel that if I can teach people about how our brains work, it can help reduce the hold it has on us, so that we can live our lives more mindfully.