Mental Health Resources for Faculty and Staff

Last updated: April 8, 2020 at 6:39 pm

Resources to Support Mental Health Wellness 

Center for Work and Family Life 

The Center for Work and Family Life (CWFL) is open and available to help USC faculty and staff with mental health-related concerns during the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic. We have highly-trained clinicians available to discuss employee well-being, stress, anxiety, and other behavioral health issues.

The phone lines are open, and Center staff members are currently scheduling remote session appointments by Zoom and teleconference for any staff, faculty, their families, and retirees. The CWFL office number is 213-821-0800. Your call will be answered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., and an appointment will be scheduled with a CWFL staff counselor. The CWFL also has an after-hours number (213-590-8045) for urgent matters.

At CWFL, we are dedicated to helping to maintain a balance between employees’ personal and professional lives. As the university’s Employee Assistance Program (EAP), we provide a confidential resource for work-life balance, performance, relationships, behavioral health, and career development. This is a free service for faculty and staff at USC.

Below is some additional information regarding this resource:

The Center for Work & Family Life (CWFL), USC Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is open and available to provide support by Zoom virtual platform and telephone.

The clinicians are all dedicated and highly trained to discuss employee well-being, stress, anxiety and other behavioral health concerns.

Call CWFL to schedule a telephone or zoom meeting. The phone number is 213-821-0800 during Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. The after-hours number for urgent matters is 213-590-8045.

When you call to schedule an appointment, the person answering the phone will ask a few questions and also send you intake paperwork to fill out. In addition, you will receive a separate release of confidentiality form to sign, scan and e-mail back to us before your scheduled appointment.

The CWFL offers free, confidential counseling up to 10 sessions a year for all USC staff and faculty.

All sessions are confidential with the following exception — if someone is going to hurt themselves or someone else, or if there is child or elder abuse. All records are kept on CaseWare, which is a separate vendor from the USC computer system. Only our CWFL team has access to the records. These notes are not part of insurance records. Zoom is a confidential protected virtual platform. 

Physical: Increased heart rate and Blood Pressure, Nausea, Dizziness, Palpitations, Trembling, Stomach Distress, Chest Pain, Perspiration, Headaches

Emotional: Worry, Anger, Hopelessness, Doubt, Anxiety, Helplessness, Grief, Overwhelm, Worthlessness, Fear, Shame, Frustration, Depression

Behavioral: Compulsive Overeating, Increase in smoking habit, Escapist Drinking, Continual use of sedatives, Emotional Outbursts, Withdrawal

Cognitive: Memory Loss, Decreased decision-making, Decreased problem solving, Limited attention span, Difficulty concentrating

There are many approaches and strategies to help you during this time:

  • Follow the facts
  • Know that you are not alone
  • Avoid information overload
  • Stay emotionally connected to love ones
  • Journal emotions and thoughts
  • Take a deep breath
  • Focus on what you can control
  • Trust that things will get better
  •  

Lifestyle Redesign: USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice

The USC Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice provides Lifestyle Redesign interventions for USC employees via telehealth. In working with an occupational therapist in Lifestyle Redesign, employees have the opportunity to address their physical and mental health in a supportive environment.

Our occupational therapists engage clients in goal setting, problem solving and self-analysis so they can create habits, routines and an overall lifestyle that is customized to their personal needs and preferences.

If you are experiencing challenges in managing your physical health, mental health and/or daily routines due to the lifestyle disruptions resulting from COVID-19, please call us at 323-442-3340 or email otfp@med.usc.edu.

Additional Resources: Parents and Caregivers of Children