Dr. Jessica Provines, Assistant Vice President for Wellness and Chief Psychologist at Wichita State University, joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss mental health awareness, Suspenders4Hope and the importance of peer support in mental health.

Provines shared her journey into becoming a psychologist, which began as a first-generation student facing isolation and depression following a transfer to Wichita State. She said her experiences highlighted the lack of mental health awareness in the late 1990s and the role peer support played in overcoming mental health challenges. Provines said the experience showed her the importance of creating supportive environments where individuals feel empowered to seek help and support each other.

Suspenders4Hope was developed at Wichita State University and offers a comprehensive approach to mental health awareness and suicide prevention. Provines explained that the program provides free resources, including an evidence-informed training module, to help organizations enhance their mental wellness culture. While the program initially started on campus at Wichita State, it has since spread to the community to help more people. She added that by partnering with various sectors, including healthcare and construction, the initiative aims to expand peer support and create trauma-informed communities.

Provines discussed the significance of peer support in mental health, particularly in high-stress environments like those in the trades. The program encourages organizations to integrate peer support into their culture, providing tools and training to empower individuals to support one another. This approach fosters a supportive community and helps reduce the stigma surrounding mental health conversations, she said.

Listen to the full episode above to hear more from Dr. Provines on mental health awareness and the power of peer support.

America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

Mental Health Awareness: Dr. Jessica Provines and Suspenders4Hope

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