Stress Management 101

We live in a time of abundance where our access to information and resources has never been greater. This, however, has not correlated with improved psychological well-being. If anything, studies are demonstrating that stress, burnout, substance abuse and mental health disorders are on the rise. Stressors are prevalent in all aspects of life from personal to professional. Mental health conditions such as generalized anxiety, obsessive compulsive disorder, panic disorder and depression are often caused by mismanaged stress over time. Health care providers, such as audiologists, can be especially vulnerable to the impacts of stress in the dynamic environments they operate in and in response to demands of being a caregiver. Occupational stress leading to burnout can negatively impact the provider’s health, job stability and quality of care. Early intervention is imperative in reversing the negative impacts of poorly managed stress. Through this presentation, participants will be provided practical strategies for assessing and managing stress to promote resilience. Furthermore, exercises to build resilience as a method of preventing unavoidable future stress will be emphasized. The goal of any good treatment program should be to get patients to a point of being able to care for themselves and identify potential threats before they turn into problems. This presentation will discuss individual and collective ways to achieve those goals.

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Speaker Information

Lieutenant Commander (LCDR) Kyle H. Shepard, Au.D. is an Audiologist for the United States Navy. Prior to his commissioning in August 2013, he received his Bachelor of Arts from The Ohio State University where he double majored in Speech and Hearing Science and Psychology. He then obtained his Doctorate in Audiology from the Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium. His 4th year externship was completed at the Cleveland Clinic from 2012-2013 where he was required to complete seven rotations, each specializing in a different area covering the scope of Audiology. He is currently stationed at Naval Air Station Patuxent River where he is the Branch Head of Helmet Systems and Auditory Performance within the Naval Air Warfare Center – Aircraft Division Command. There he manages and collaborates with engineers and other medical specialties working on research projects contributing to areas in advanced hearing protection and communication systems, active noise reduction, 3D scanning, 3D printing and in-the-ear noise dosimetry. He was formally stationed at Naval Hospital Guam where he was the Department Head of Audiology and Hearing Conservation Program Manager of Joint Region Marianas as well as Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune where he was the Department Head of Operational Audiology and Hearing Conservation Program Manager of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune. In 2015, he was the recipient of both the Military Audiology Association’s Elizabeth Guild Award and Navy Audiologist of the Year.

Resources

• 10 Tips to De-Stress on World Mental Health Day
• How to Handle Burnout
• Life Lessons from a Leave of Absence