Building readiness at Walter Reed through social wellness and resiliency

By Ann Brandstadter

WRNMMC Hospital Communications

For the military community and the staff at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, social wellness and resiliency are not only personal goals, but also a foundation of mission readiness. The definition of social wellness is the ability to build healthy relationships, connect with others, and create a sense of belonging in a community.

The Staff Resiliency Program offers support services tailored to the specific needs of different departments, with services that include resiliency coaching, informal mediations, workshops, and specialized training. By focusing on change management and stress reduction, the program aims to prevent burnout and mitigate the "fight or flight" response that leaves individuals mentally and physically vulnerable to illness.

For units operating in high-stress environments, social wellness also directly translates to operational effectiveness. Navy Cmdr. Sheila Houghton-Antonucci, Deputy for the Directorate for Mental Health at Walter Reed, emphasizes that healthy relationships are essential for a capable team.

"Communication is key for readiness. If you have healthy relationships with your teammates, you’ll work better, and it improves efficiency, so everyone works well together,” Houghton-Antonucci said.

According to Houghton-Antonucci, mental health techs run support groups that are attached to different commands build strong teams. “Other commands in the field, when you’re deployed, will build social well-being and the cohesiveness of a team. And it can be done in informal ways.”

Since newer generations navigate a highly digital landscape, compared to traditional in-person gatherings, the end goal remains the same. “The next generation is going to look different because of the internet. My generation gets together in person so it’s changing,” said Houghton-Antonucci. “[Because] different things work for different people you need to see what works for you.” Houghton-Antonucci also stressed how social meetups make missions stronger to “get it done” in the field.

Some examples of social wellness activities Houghton-Antonucci mentioned are joining church communities, participating in support groups, taking a dance class with your coworkers; any kind of team-building activity can build this cohesiveness.

Another way of promoting social wellness is with staff resiliency gatherings and exercises. Shantrell Hamilton, chief of resiliency for the Walter Reed Staff Resiliency Program, approaches social wellness by focusing heavily on change management and psychological safety.

"The main purpose [of the program] is to empower the Walter Reed workforce by cultivating an environment of resilience," said Hamilton. “Staff resiliency impacts social wellness [by] having a psychologically safe environment. If we don’t have a psychologically safe culture, we face challenges that don’t allow staff to thrive and express readiness.”

Protecting one’s mind and stepping back to re-evaluate is essential to maintaining both personal health and mission readiness. “On a day-to-day basis, the body is very susceptible [to stress], we try to mitigate this and address the tools for these issues. This is when change management comes into play,” said Hamilton.

For more information on the Walter Reed Staff Resiliency Program, write mailto:dha.bethesda.j-11.mesg.wrnm-resiliency@health.mil.

For more information on Walter Reed Behavioral Health, view https://walterreed.tricare.mil/Health-Services/Mental-Health.

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