Leaps & bound(aries): Real self-care, real change
Real self-care is an ongoing process that requires decision-making, boundary setting, self-compassion, and living a life aligned with your beliefs and values. Whereas the solutions commonly offered by the multitrillion-dollar global wellness industry provide only temporary improvements to individual and team mental health and wellbeing, real self-care has the potential to shift our relationships, workplace cultures, and even social systems. In this webinar, learn essential tools and skills for boundary setting—one of the pillars of real self-care.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Define real self-care.
- Compare and contrast requests vs. boundaries.
- Describe four boundary setting skills.
Jen Brandt, PhD, is a sociologist, suicidologist, social worker, and certified anti-oppression informed practitioner specializing in the field of veterinary medicine. As AVMA’s director of member wellbeing and diversity initiatives, she co-developed AVMA’s Workplace Wellbeing and Brave Space certificate programs and Train the Trainer wellbeing educator program. She has served on several transdisciplinary boards and advisory panels, including the Federation of State Physician Health Program’s Task Force to Support Safe Haven, the Veterinary Hope Foundation, and the NORA Healthcare and Social Assistance Sector Council, whose objectives include assessing and addressing the impact of organizational culture and leadership on the safety, satisfaction, and quality of life of healthcare workers.
Before coming to the AVMA, Brandt provided counseling and consultation services at The Ohio State University College of Veterinary Medicine. While there, she also co-founded the Honoring the Bond Program, one of the first programs in the country aimed at recognizing and honoring the human-animal bond by providing culturally sensitive support and resources to animal owners and animal care professionals. She is a certified psychological autopsy investigator and crisis worker through the American Association of Suicidology. In 2020 she was elected a distinguished fellow in social work by the National Academies of Practice in recognition of her lifelong contributions to healthcare services. Brandt received her PhD and master’s degree in social work from The Ohio State University. She also holds a graduate minor in research methods in human resource development from The Ohio State University, and holds dual degrees in social work and sociology from the University of Indianapolis.