Grounded Under Pressure: Individual Tools for Workforce Resilience in Public Health
1
Awen Consulting Services (Public Health Consultant), New York, United States
2
Cadence Consulting (Public Health Consultant and Coaching), San Diego, United States
3
National Harm Reduction Coalition, Oakland/New York, United States
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Public health workers operate within increasingly hostile, politicized, and resource-constrained environments that place sustained demands on their emotional, cognitive, and physiological capacity. In addition to structural stressors, workers are frequently exposed to community trauma, moral injury, and chronic urgency, contributing to burnout, dysregulation, and workforce attrition. While organizational-level interventions are essential, there remains a critical need for practical, individual-level tools that support self-regulation, emotional resilience, and sustained engagement in the work.
METHODS:
This interactive workshop draws on mixed-methods research from the University of Texas examining occupational stressors among harm reduction and public health workers, pilot workforce resilience trainings, and the ongoing development and evaluation of Reclaiming Resilience, a trauma-informed, practice-based framework. Content integrates somatic practices, nervous system literacy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)-informed techniques to support emotional regulation and narrative flexibility. Participants will engage in brief experiential exercises and guided reflection designed for immediate application in high-stress public health settings.
RESULTS:
Participants will leave with a set of tangible, portable tools to support grounding, interrupt stress reactivity, and restore internal safety during moments of overwhelm. The workshop emphasizes practical skill-building rather than conceptual mastery, with attention to adapting practices across diverse roles including direct service, advocacy, policy, and capacity-building environments.
CONCLUSIONS:
This session complements broader workforce resilience strategies by focusing on individual, embodied practices that enhance wellbeing and sustainability in public health work. By centering nervous system regulation and narrative choice, the workshop offers accessible tools that participants can use personally and integrate into their professional practice, supporting resilience not as individual grit, but as an ethical and sustainable approach to care-centered public health work.
Public health workers operate within increasingly hostile, politicized, and resource-constrained environments that place sustained demands on their emotional, cognitive, and physiological capacity. In addition to structural stressors, workers are frequently exposed to community trauma, moral injury, and chronic urgency, contributing to burnout, dysregulation, and workforce attrition. While organizational-level interventions are essential, there remains a critical need for practical, individual-level tools that support self-regulation, emotional resilience, and sustained engagement in the work.
METHODS:
This interactive workshop draws on mixed-methods research from the University of Texas examining occupational stressors among harm reduction and public health workers, pilot workforce resilience trainings, and the ongoing development and evaluation of Reclaiming Resilience, a trauma-informed, practice-based framework. Content integrates somatic practices, nervous system literacy, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP)-informed techniques to support emotional regulation and narrative flexibility. Participants will engage in brief experiential exercises and guided reflection designed for immediate application in high-stress public health settings.
RESULTS:
Participants will leave with a set of tangible, portable tools to support grounding, interrupt stress reactivity, and restore internal safety during moments of overwhelm. The workshop emphasizes practical skill-building rather than conceptual mastery, with attention to adapting practices across diverse roles including direct service, advocacy, policy, and capacity-building environments.
CONCLUSIONS:
This session complements broader workforce resilience strategies by focusing on individual, embodied practices that enhance wellbeing and sustainability in public health work. By centering nervous system regulation and narrative choice, the workshop offers accessible tools that participants can use personally and integrate into their professional practice, supporting resilience not as individual grit, but as an ethical and sustainable approach to care-centered public health work.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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