Workplace Support Services

The Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) has two key branches: one manages stress (the "fight or flight" response), while the other promotes recovery and restoration (the "rest and digest" response). Many people today experience Autonomic Nervous System Dysregulation, a state where the stress-response branch dominates. This imbalance has been linked to chronic diseases and increased risks of anxiety, depression, and insomnia. The GOOD news is that you can learn strategies to help activate the restore branch of your ANS.

Join us on the first Thursday of each month for a 60-minute emotional wellness break—a welcoming space to connect, share experiences, and explore strategies for life’s challenges in a community that understands. Facilitated by Pamela Hamilton from UVA FEAP, this session offers culturally responsive support and meaningful resources to uplift and empower you.

FEAP Consultant Dominique McLaughlin hosts an eldercare support group. Email to learn more!

Every semester FEAP's Communications Specialist offers a poetry course ranging between six and twelve weeks on topics related to mental health and narrative. Email to learn more!

The Faculty and Employee Assistance Program provides management and organizational consultation on handling employee job performance issues and workplace concerns in accordance with organizational policy and procedure.

Supervisors and managers may confidentially contact a FEAP counselor to discuss any other workgroup or employee situations that may arise such as:

• Organizational Change
• Staff Conflict
• Workplace Violence
• Critical Incidents
• Impairment/Fitness for Duty

FEAP consultants will work with you to determine if the situation is appropriate for a referral

You can discuss constructive ways to confront employees about performance and receive help with the referral process.

Webinars

• Understanding Substance Abuse

• Managing the Potentially Suicidal Employee

• Managing Employees Who Are Experiencing Domestic Violence/Intimate Partner Violence

Critical incidents can overwhelm coping mechanisms, impacting individuals, teams, and organizations. These events often extend beyond the workplace, affecting families and communities. A trauma-informed approach helps foster resilience, recovery, and stability. Leaders, managers, and colleagues play key roles in providing support during these challenging times. Explore this page for resources, tools, and strategies to guide teams through critical incidents and promote healing and well-being.

Guidance for Leaders and Managers in Critical Incidents and Workplace Loss

• Responding to Critical Incidents: A Comprehensive Guide for Leaders
  • Critical incidents in the workplace encompass any event with the power to overwhelm normal coping mechanisms. These can include traumatic losses, workplace accidents, natural disasters, acts of violence, or other emergencies. Read this guide to learn more.
• Managing Workplace Loss
  • The death of a coworker is a profound event requiring thoughtful and compassionate leadership. Whether the loss occurs outside the workplace or as a result of a critical incident, it is helpful for leaders to tailor their response to the specific circumstances to guide their teams through grief, maintain stability, and foster resilience. Learn more.
• Critical Incident Response Booklet