Host
Marika Warren
Guest
Rachel Askett, Wellness and Education Lead, Northern Zone
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
- What are some of the things that can help promote psychological safety in your workplace?
- How might the experience of, and approaches to promote psychological safety and wellness differ between health care sites in rural areas and in larger urban settings?
- Think of work situations that have caused you moral distress:
- How did this/these situations impact on your wellness?
- What did you and/or your team do to alleviate the moral distress you were experiencing?
- What can health care organizations do to promote wellness among health care providers and embed wellness in the work culture?
RESOURCES
Canadian Medical Association (CMA): Organizational Wellness https://www.cma.ca/resources/physician-wellness-hub/topics/organizational-wellness
Elisseou S. (2023). Trauma-Informed Care: A Missing Link in Addressing Burnout. Journal of healthcare leadership, 15, 169–173. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S389271
Guitar, N.A., Molinaro, M.L. (2017)Vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress in health care professionals. University of Western Ontario Medical Journal, 86 (2): 42-43 https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/uwomj/article/view/2021
Government of Nova Scotia (2015) Trauma-informed approaches – An Introduction and Discussion Guide for Health and Social Service Providers. IWK Health Centre, Nova Scotia Health Authority, Government of Nova Scotia, May 2015. https://novascotia.ca/dhw/addictions/documents/TIP_Discussion_Guide_1.pdf
Mental Health Commission Canada: Workplace Standard – Mental Health Commission of Canada [Accessed March 26, 2026] (Describes the underlying National Standard which has built policy in Canada for psychological safety)
Occupational Health, Safety and Wellness, Nova Scotia Health. Wellness (page available to nova scotia health employees only) https://novascotia.sharepoint.com/sites/Health-TheCompass-OHSW/SitePages/Wellness.aspx [Accessed, March 16, 2026]
Psychological Health and Safety Resource Centre [Accessed March 26, 2026] (Describes and provides videos on each of the 13 Factors for Psychological Safety)
Respectful Workplace: https://physicians.nshealth.ca/resources/respectful-workplace [Accessed, March 16, 2026]
TEND Academy. Education & Resources for Helping Professionals: https://www.tendacademy.ca/ [Accessed, March 16, 2026]
TEND Academy: Working Well, Together – A Guided Organizational Health Program. https://www.tendacademy.ca/working-well-together/ [Accessed, March 16, 2026]
