Kaiser Permanente will be hosting a “Emotional Well Being “ webinar series for all UC Employees. We can all benefit from taking some time to renew our mind, care for our body, and lift our spirit. In this series, we will learn many ways to care for ourselves physically and emotionally. These webinars are open for all lab employees even if you're not a Kaiser member.

Eating Mindfully - 12 - 1PM PST

Mindful Eating is an approach to weight management by mindfully assessing your behaviors and emotions with food.

• Date: Tuesday, October 10, 2023 Click to Register 

Building Healthy Meals - 12 - 1PM PST

Learn ways to create healthy seasonal meals. We will talk staples to keep on hand and meal prepping tools. 

• Date: Tuesday, November 07, 2023 Click to Register 

Plant-Based Eating - 12 - 1PM PST

Learning to make plant-based food the central part of your meals.

• Date: Tuesday, December 05, 2023 Click to Register 

Be Well at Work Fall 2023 Workshops and Training

To register, please click on the workshop titles or individual dates. 

Elder Care

• The Sandwich Generation: Caring for Kids and Parents
  Thu 9/21; Noon – 1:30 pm
  The sandwich generation is the "caught-in-the-middle" generation, the group of middle-aged adults who are simultaneously raising children and supporting their aging parents. This can be physically, financially, and/or emotionally. This presentation covers the common stressors for these caregivers and ways to deal with them. 

• Clutter & Hoarding: Supporting a Loved One
  Tue 10/12; Noon – 1:30 pm
  This workshop will address different scenarios when clutter or hoarding behaviors become challenging. Skills to make changes will be presented to help overwhelm when faced with clutter or hoarding. Learn how to support a loved one while maintaining your own sanity. Discussion of how and when to get professional help. Resources to help will be shared.

• Senior Living Options
  Thu 11/9; Noon – 1:30 pm
  In this presentation, we review and explain housing options and resources available in the marketplace for aging adults. The presenter with provide an overview or resources available to secure assistance at home, as well as present options for  finding a new senior community to call home. Differing types and levels of assisted living and skilled nursing care will be described.

• Sparking Joy Through Creativity
  Tue 12/12; Noon – 1:30 pm
  Creativity is important at every age! Arts-based activities provide older adults living with chronic health issues opportunities for authentic self-expression, increased joy, and improved quality of life throughout all stages of their illness. Please join us for this fun, hands-on workshop designed to spark joy in you and the odler adult you are caring for. No art experience is necessary! 

Parenting

• Supporting Children and Teens through Grief
  Thu 9/26; Noon – 1 pm
  This workshop will provide the fundamentals of grief and focus on identifying and supporting grief in children and teens. Kara’s mission is to provide grief support for children, teens, families and adults. Our guiding values are empathy and compassion. Every day we provide caring support to children and adults affected by loss and grief. Our vision is to see people of all ages compassionately supported on their journey through grief so they can move toward renewed hope and meaning. We serve individuals who are grieving a death as well as those managing a terminal illness (their own or another’s). 

• Breastfeeding Your Baby/Returning to Work or School
  Thu 10/5; 1 – 4:15 pm
  This 3 hour class is taught by a certified lactation consultant and is broken up into two parts.The first portion of the class, 1-3pm, addresses breastfeeding basics and problem solving. The second portion of class, 3:15-4:15pm, covers returning-to-work planning and breast pumps. Those who have already attended a breastfeeding class are welcome to join the last portion of the class. 

• Understanding Listening Partnerships
  Thu 10/19; Noon – 1 pm
  As caregivers to young people we are engaged in deeply emotional work, the hardest work we will ever do. How can we build a support team for this? Where can we talk freely about the strains of everyday life, our worries about concerning behaviors, and the fear that comes from from ’not knowing what to do’? When we as caregivers take regular turns listening to each other we can make dependable gains in our lives. Taking the time to explore thoughts, speak whatever is on our hearts, and work though the tensions of raising children helps us care more effectively for ourselves and our families. Join us for this workshop where we will look at how Listening Partnerships - agreements between two people to take turns listening to one another - can be a simple and rewarding way to give and get the support we need as we meet the challenges of nurturing children. 

• Transitioning Back After Baby Bonding Leave
  Thu 10/26; Noon – 1 pm
  For both birth and non-birth parents, the transition back to work after baby bonding leave can feel overwhelming. It can be filled with a vast array of emotions, concerns, and limitations, not to mention demanding and conflicting schedules. Join us for this virtual panel workshop focused on understanding both positive and negative emotions related to this transition, how to establish boundaries at work, benefits and accommodations available to working parents, ergonomic strategies for multiple workstations, and self-care resources to help ease the physical and mental pressure associated with working while caregiving for a young child.

Stress Management

• Perfectionism in the Workplace
  Tue 10/31; Noon – 1 pm
  Perfectionism is commonly understood as striving for flawlessness, and is often part of the culture of academic settings. This workshop explores types of perfectionism and how it manifests in individuals and in workplaces. Systemic factors, their intersection with specific groups such as women and BIPOC communities, and the disproportionate impact on mental health are discussed. This workshop is appropriate for all levels of staff and management, as well as those who identify as perfectionists and those who may be impacted by others’ perfectionism in the workplace. Strategies for enacting positive change on individual and systemic levels are highlighted.

• Emotional Intelligence for the Workplace
  Thu 11/16; Noon – 1 pm
  Understanding and managing our emotions can increase our sense of well-being, motivation, empathy and ability to relate to others in a healthy way. This workshop will examine what it means to be emotionally intelligent and how to apply key concepts to create a more successful and fulfilling work/life experience.

• Maintaining Your Mental Health During the Holidays
  Wed 11/29; Noon – 1 pm
  Understanding and managing our emotions can increase our sense of well-being, motivation, empathy and ability to relate to others in a healthy way. This workshop will examine what it means to be emotionally intelligent and how to apply key concepts to create a more successful and fulfilling work/life experience.

Monthly BIPOC Support Group

Every 2nd Tuesday of the Month, 12 - 12:50 pm

Facilitated by Kiran Johl, LCSW. Employee Assistance Counselor

First group meets on Tuesday, October 10th at noon

This virtual space is for Black, Indigenous, and staff and faculty of Color to join together in community for discussion, support, and encouragement. Topics such as challenges and successes of working at UC Berkeley, intersection of identities, current events, and fostering one’s mental and physical health will be explored.

Email kpatchell@berkeley.edu for registration and zoom link.

Handling Work Stress and Avoiding Burnout

Date: Thursday, November 2nd, 2023

Time: Noon - 12:50 pm PST

Join on Zoom

Add it to your calendar

Please join us on Thursday, November 2nd, for a lunch time workshop just for Berkeley Lab brought to us from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP).

Handling Work Stress and Avoiding Burnout

Unhealthy work-stress can lead to reduced levels of productivity and performance and negatively impact our lives outside of work. Alternatively, stress managed well can help us create a healthy relationship with work that can strengthen our careers and positively impact our personal lives. This workshop will provide information on stress and burnout and introduce effective strategies to manage our work-stress including; boundary setting, focus strategies, and ways to build community at work. 

About the Speaker:

Elliott DiTusa is one of the Employee Assistance counselors for LBNL staff and postdocs. Elliott is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor with 9 years of experience working in various Employee Assistance models. His work experience also includes providing individual and couples counseling at a group psychotherapy practice. Elliott received his BS in Secondary Education from Indiana University and his MA in Counseling with a specialization in Sport and Health Psychology from Adler University. Elliott enjoys serving all members of the LBL community, and has a special interest in working with those experiencing career stress/pressure, and work/life balance challenges