you hear it over and over again ,” Drake said . “ And it ’ s horrible for the victim , but it also causes moral injury for those that are walking beside them , because we ’ re all human , and you don ’ t want to see anybody hurt ,” he said .
Drake said PCS is trying to expand its reach in the community to offer more mental health services in the workplace , but the agency needs additional staffing .
“ The struggle is having enough space for new therapists — we need to expand — and having enough therapists to take care of all of these things that are happening in our community ,” he said . “ People have asked me , who is your competition , and I ’ ve said , we don ’ t have any competition , because there are more needs than there are providers .”
Beyond offering access to mental
health services , workplace culture also plays a role . Wendy Dant Chesser , president and CEO of One Southern Indiana , said a focus on positive employee relations is expanding among Southern Indiana businesses .
As many companies struggle to find workers , she is seeing an expanded emphasis on healthy environments in the workplace , which is important for both hiring and retaining employees .
“ There ’ s more showing that there ’ s a healthy culture within the company and by healthy , that means mental health and providing an environment that ’ s nurturing and caring ,” Dant Chesser said .
Many workers also care about the mission of the company , and they “ want to feel good about working there ,” she said .
Offering comprehensive benefits
packages with strong health insurance is also key for companies , and she notes that more insurance programs are becoming inclusive of mental health benefits in their packages .
Many employers are becoming more aware of the role mental health plays in the workplace and investing in their employees , Drake said .
“ They ’ re actually recognizing for the first time that helping their employees get healthy mentally and emotionally is keeping them on the job ,” he said . “ Anger has decreased when they get therapy — they ’ re not as angry , they ’ re not as negative . The days are not lost with sick days because they feel like once they get the therapy , they are reenergized and they are focused again on work .”
Drake said it is important for employers to be flexible and accommodat-