College of Medicine Collaboration Offers Free Counseling Services for All Learners

In its efforts to promote well-being for all learners, the College of Medicine developed a partnership in 2020 creating an additional wellness option for all trainees across all campuses in Lexington, Bowling Green, Morehead, and Northern Kentucky.

The Physician Wellness Program (PWP) was established by the Lexington Medical Society (LMS), in collaboration with The Woodland Group, to help address stressors for physicians. With the well-being of the community as a priority, the College of Medicine worked with LMS to expand this program to include all trainees at the college.

The three-year pilot program is designed for a College of Medicine trainee’s unique needs and is being offered in addition to existing psychological and counseling support services. As part of the program, all trainees, including residents, fellows, graduate students, and medical students, at the College of Medicine are provided eight free counseling sessions each calendar year that are conducted at The Woodland Group. To adapt to COVID-19 and make these services more accessible to learners at regional campuses, virtual counseling sessions were made available.

“We understand that training is already a challenging time for all of our learners, and that those challenges have certainly heightened due to COVID-19,” Charles Griffith, MD, acting dean, said. “The College of Medicine is grateful for this opportunity from the Lexington Medical Society and The Woodland Group that will help reduce the burden of stress, especially under these difficult circumstances. We encourage any trainee in the college to utilize this partnership if in need of someone to talk to.”

Counseling sessions can help alleviate difficulties, related or non-related to your medical school experience, including family issues, relationship problems, work-related difficulties, alcohol and drug abuse, depression, anxiety, difficulty managing stress, mood swings, and suicidal thoughts. The Woodland Group’s team includes seven licensed psychologists who have been vetted by the Lexington Medical Society and will maintain a confidential file for each participant. No insurance will be billed, and the Lexington Medical Society will not receive any information on who chooses to utilize the program. n

For more information, visit:

lexingtondoctors.org/services/wellness-program/

Wellness Resource Database

To make every wellness resource at the college and University more easily accessible, the College of Medicine established a wellness resource database. The site includes resources for faculty, staff, and learners, and it is equipped with an easy-to-use search tool to find wellness resources that best fit their needs. To access the database, visit: mednet.mc.uky.edu/wellbeing.

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