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(From CUToday) – Town & Country FCU said it has become one of the first organizations in Maine to introduce a new employee mental health benefit.
Partnering with UNUM Behavioral Health, the new benefit offers all Town & Country FCU staff and their immediate family members age 18 and older free access to a variety of mental health and wellness solutions, programs, and resources, the CU reported.
“Recognizing that the past two plus years have added additional stress, anxiety, and depression among people of all ages, Town & Country proactively pursued finding something to not only help employees and family members currently struggling but to offer multiple options to help staff potentially prevent or mitigate mental health and wellness challenges in the future,” Town & Country FCU stated in announcing the new benefit.
‘Top of List of Challenges’
In a statement, Betsy St. Pierre, Human Resources Manager at Town & Country FCU who was part of the team that suggested and ultimately implemented the new benefit, said, “Mental health is on the top of the list of challenges in the day to day workplace. The first barrier I would always get to is ‘I can’t afford it,’ And that’s really sad if somebody needs help and can’t afford it. We’re getting the tools in their hands that they need to manage their mental health on their own. This is available to all employees whether they participate in our health insurance plan or not, and insurance is not involved.”
According to Town & Country FCU, since it was first launched as part of the credit union’s recognition of May’s designation as Mental Health Awareness month, more than 40% of Town & Country FCU’s staff have already signed up for the new benefit and feedback from staff has been overwhelmingly positive.
Strong Staff Reaction
“Throughout the organization, staff have been both surprised that this is now available at no charge and really appreciative that it is. It’s been really exciting to roll it out and hear the reaction from staff,” said St. Pierre.
Added Maxime Guillaume, Associate Vice President of Workplace Wellness and General Manager of UNUM Behavioral Health, which administers the program, “We’re all in a different place on the mental health spectrum over the course of the year. One month we’re doing great, and another month we’re facing more challenges. Maine is facing a shortage of therapists, which can make getting help for anxiety, depression and other mood disorders more difficult.”
Three Pathways
UNUM Behavioral Health said the program it provides and is offered by Town & Country FCU includes three different support pathways:
- Self-paced programs with exercises that help people identify symptoms and triggers of stress, and build strategies to prevent them.
- A coaching program through an app: it combines chat-based coach and peer support, virtual workshops, and more.
- A 12-week treatment program, also through an app, for people dealing with depression, burnout, and anxiety, with support from licensed clinicians.