Extended workplace leaves are not new, whether someone has taken time off to deal with family issues, health problems, or to look for a new job or change careers. But the COVID-19 pandemic has made extended workplace absences more widespread. People who have never before experienced a mental health issue are seeking help. Many are finding that returning to the workplace isn’t as easy as they would have liked. If you’re having difficulty returning to work, our WorkReturns℠ program can help you overcome the psychological challenges.
Medical City Green Oaks Hospital’s WorkReturns Clinic is the only one of its kind in North Texas and offers compassionate, supportive guidance. Our intensive outpatient program will help you develop valuable skills and provide you with tools to help you deal with the emotional aspects of returning to work, including:
- Building confidence to handle the first days back on the job
- Managing conflict
- Coping with anxiety
- Setting expectations
- Balancing work and home life
Programs are offered in-person in Dallas and Plano, with a virtual option also available.
In-person WorkReturns program: call (972) 770-1014
Virtual WorkReturns program: call (972) 985-1599
Medical City Green Oaks Hospital’s WorkReturns program in action
One person helped by the WorkReturns program is Dr. Jared Pickens, a North Texas economics professor. His story was featured by NBC5 DFW in January 2022. As a self-professed people person, Jared feels most at home when he’s face-to-face with colleagues, students and others.
“I thrive off working with people,” Jared says. “So, when I wasn't in the classroom anymore, and I didn't really have time with my students, and my peers, that time was very, very challenging for me.”
Eager to return to campus when COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, Jared was concerned to find that things were different. Not everyone was back on campus and there were other changes. He realized that what he’d experienced in the past may not return as quickly as he’d hoped.
The intense anxiety he was feeling grew overwhelming and he was no longer enjoying teaching. He knew he needed help, which he found through Medical City Green Oaks Hospital’s Work Returns outpatient program.
Diane Partin, Medical City Green Oaks Hospital’s Administrative Director of Behavioral Health Outpatient Services, confirms that demand for mental health services has increased during the pandemic and that a lot of it revolves around the workplace.
"We're seeing a lot of burnout, anxiety, depression, frustration, angst, fear, those kinds of negative emotions that are really draining the workforce right now," she says.
Through the WorkReturns program, Jared was able to find his teaching mojo again.
“Medical City Green Oaks Hospital’s WorkReturns program helped me develop the tools, confidence and coping strategies so that I can enjoy teaching again,” says Jared. “It’s not the same as it used to be, but I’m approaching it in a much different way.”
In addition to the WorkReturns program, Medical City Green Oaks Hospital expanded telepsychiatry services during the pandemic and is still offering this popular option.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or reach out to the Crisis Text Line by texting ‘Home’ to 741741.
At Medical City Healthcare, we’re dedicated to the care and improvement of human life. So, we hope you’ll Take Care!
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For more information, call our Ask a Nurse hotline 24/7 or use Find a Doctor online.
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