Mental Health Expert Working With 211 Call Center Staff

A mental health expert is working with the staff on the 211 Helpline to help them deal with the the stress that comes with the job.

It's all to help with burnout and anxiety for those dealing with the heavy call volume during this pandemic. Janice Harris who's a field traumatologist has had years of experience helping people deal with tragedy in disaster areas like hurricane Irma and Hurricane Rita.

Since the pandemic started, Harris has been meeting with those at Community Service Council. They take calls from public about distress and needs, which can include food and clothing. Janice says she schedules two to three meetings a week with the staff. Those at 211 can also schedule a one on one meeting.

Harris says she examines the staff and sees if there's a correlation between the quality assurance and compassion fatigue.

"It will happen at the health department lines, the Tulsa public school lines. So, we want help those workers be aware of what could happen to them," said Harris.

Harris is a contract worker, so she plans to keep helping Community Service Council as long as they need her to.