Journalists are First Responders: Mental Health in Times of Crisis

Journalists are exposed to trauma in unique, generally unacknowledged ways. If you are a journalist working in the context of trauma, including covering natural disasters, violence, or ongoing conflicts, you should join this essential webinar on managing your mental health. Focusing on the urgent story at hand and ignoring mental health is a strategy that is effective in the short-term, but not sustainable in the long-term.

In this webinar, you will learn from trauma expert Gretchen Schmelzer about ways to stay attentive to your mental health during your day-to-day work cycle and especially during a crisis. Gretchen is known for offering research-based, practical, and actionable strategies for leaders who face trauma as a routine part of their jobs. Learn more about her work at the Center for Trauma and Leadership.

Meet the Trainer

Gretchen Schmelzer, PhD, has over 20 years of experience in transformational leadership development, executive coaching and management consulting, and 30 years of experience in working with individuals, groups, organizations and countries to help them grow and change. She is an ICF certified senior coach, licensed psychologist and co-founder of the Center for Trauma and Leadership. The Center supports leaders across sectors who face trauma as a routine part of the workday, including first-responders, government agencies, health and social services, journalists, and nonprofits.

Gretchen has designed and led large-scale leadership development programs around the world for multinational corporations working with senior executives and corporate teams during rapid expansions, change processes, new product implementation, and merging cultures. She has been faculty at Northeastern University in Boston and at the MCI Innsbruck in Austria, as well as at the Masters in Medical Education at the Penn Graduate School of Education.

Gretchen is the author of Journey Through Trauma, published in 2018 by Penguin Random House, and is the founder and editor of the blog www.gretchenschmelzer.com. She was recently featured on CNN with Anderson Cooper and Working from Home with Richard Quest.

A two-time National Champion in Rowing, Gretchen also has extensive experience in performance enhancement for individuals and teams working with Olympic, Master’s and Collegiate level coaches and athletes. She lives in Western Massachusetts surrounded by friends, books and nature.