One of the best parts of my role as the Outreach and Engagement Specialist with the New York State Trauma-Informed Network and Resource Center has been meeting people across New York State who work hard every day to make their communities stronger. Whether I am talking with educators, healthcare workers, human service providers, emergency responders, manufacturers, transportation workers, conservation staff, or many others, one thing is clear: every job comes with its own challenges and stress. Too often, people struggle to find resources that truly fit the realities of their work.
These conversations confirmed something we already believed. Supporting the wellbeing of frontline workers takes more than general wellness advice. A trauma-informed approach means recognizing the environments people work in, the experiences they bring with them, and the strengths they use every day. It also means providing support that is practical, helpful, and easy to access.
This commitment led to the creation of our new Frontline Workers Wellness Toolkit. Instead of assuming what people needed, we listened. We heard about stress, burnout, compassion fatigue, difficult workplace situations, and the emotional challenges of helping others. We also heard inspiring stories of resilience, creativity, and organizations working hard to build healthier workplace cultures.
The result is a free resource designed for sixteen employment sectors across New York State. Whether you work in healthcare, education, manufacturing, transportation, hospitality, agriculture, public safety, retail, or another frontline field, you will find tools, strategies, and resources that reflect the realities of your job. We have also included resources for supervisors and organizational leaders because supporting employee wellbeing is a shared responsibility.
In the months ahead, we will introduce Industry Spotlights that highlight the unique experiences, challenges, and strengths of each sector featured in the Toolkit. We hope these spotlights encourage meaningful conversations about workplace wellness and help more people find resources they can use every day.
Frontline workers support our communities every day. We hope this Toolkit reminds them that their wellbeing matters too.
Josh Higgins (he/him)
Community Provider Engagement Specialist
NYS Trauma-Informed Network & Resource Center
People who work in hospitality know that every guest is different. A busy shift can change quickly. Stress can come from many places, such as handling guest complaints, managing long lines, dealing with scheduling changes, working while short-staffed, rushing to meet guest needs, or balancing several tasks at once. These challenges can build up throughout the shift and make it harder to stay focused. Over time, carrying stress from one interaction to the next can lead to burnout.
One tool in the Frontline Workers Wellness Toolkit is the Mindful Table Reset. This simple two-minute activity can be easily completed between guest interactions. It involves taking a few slow breaths, checking your posture, relaxing your shoulders, and letting go of the last interaction before helping the next guest.
These small steps give your mind and body a chance to reset.
Taking short moments to recover during the day can make a big difference.
Whether you just experienced a difficult guest interaction, worked through a busy rush, fixed a mistake, or supported a coworker during a stressful situation, a quick reset can help you refocus.
Instead of carrying stress from one guest to the next, this practice helps you stay calm, present, and ready for whatever comes next.
Explore this and other hospitality-focused resources in the Frontline Workers Wellness Toolkit.
Resilience: More Than Grit
When we hear the word “resilience” we
might immediately think about someone’s accomplishments in the face of great challenges. We often celebrate and applaud people who continue to perform well, achieve goals, or adapt to very challenging circumstances. What can be overlooked are the costs and toll it takes on someone to keep pushing forward against tough situations.
Over 70 people from across NYS joined our virtual Quarterly Network Meeting in April to discuss giving and receiving feedback. Facilitated by TINRC’s Gwen Olton, the Ask-Offer-Ask micro-practice was explored and participants joined regional groups to discuss what feedback practices look like in their own workplace and communities. The discussions highlighted that these micro practices are needed to support trauma-informed feedback practices. The Ask-Offer-Ask resource below serves as a useful tool to support trauma-informed feedback practices at work, home and community.
Where the Professional and Personal Meet
by Tanja Meding
At the start of 2025, I was offered the opportunity to work on a new television program about long-term missing person cases. I have been a producer for crime-related television programs for a good number of years and have worked on multiple seasons of a television series that asked for the public’s help to find fugitives and missing children. However, this new program was going to be different.
About Tanja: A well-versed producer with an international background, Tanja Meding began her career in the film industry in her native Germany. Following positions with an art-house film distributor and a post-production facility, she was an associate producer for Berlin-based veteran Producer Regina Ziegler for five years during which she collaborated with filmmakers such as Bob Rafelson, Amos Kollek, Jos Stelling, Petr Zelenka and Rosa von Praunheim. In 2003, Tanja moved to New York where she became a documentary producer with Maysles Films. Since 2009, she has contributed to a wide range of television series, specials, and limited programs, including The 93 Victims of Samuel Little, Bad Henry, and Broken Harts as well as multiple seasons of In Pursuit with John Walsh. Tanja is drawn to purpose-driven storytelling, and approaches each project with empathy, integrity, and respect
Bridging the Gap: The Powerful Intersection of Pain and Professionalism
by Angela M. Colón-Rentas, FPA-C, NYCPS-P
In the trauma-informed and peer-support spaces, we often talk about the value of lived experience. But we rarely discuss the complex reality of carrying personal pain while maintaining professional roles. For a long time, the system taught us to keep these identities separate—as if our struggles somehow diminished our expertise.
The truth is exactly the opposite. My own journey through deep personal pain hasn’t hindered my professionalism; it has defined it.
About Angela: Angela M. Colón‑Rentas is a New York State–certified Peer Specialist, Youth Peer alumni, Skillbuilder, and credentialed Family Peer Advocate. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in Rochester, New York, she brings tenure, having more than nine years of professional experience in the mental health field. Informed and guided by lived experience within the mental health and juvenile justice system, Angela has served as Storyteller in Residence for the New York State Trauma Informed Network and Research Center and is a contributor to the Mad in America Journal.
By Shalet Laing
In this video, Shalet explores her connection to hip hop, from being introduced to it in the womb through her mother’s love for Tupac to understanding its deeper cultural significance. She reflects on hip hop’s conception in the South Bronx and its roots in African oral tradition, positioning it as a continuation of ancestral storytelling. Through her original poems, Cindy’s POV—centered on Cindy Campbell and the party that sparked hip hop—and Oral Tradition—which connects hip hop to African griot practices—Shalet blends history, culture, and personal perspective to show how hip hop carries memory, voice, and resistance across generations.
Exciting news! BBM sessions are now offered 7 days a week, up to 3 times daily, with options available in Spanish.
Stress relief that’s quick, simple, free, and available to all! Join our BBM practice sessions to learn gentle, science-based exercises that help reduce stress and build resilience.
This program helps build a team of trainers across NY who can teach “Tending the Roots Training” courses.
Dates: October 21st, 22nd, & 29th
Time: 8:30am-4pm (21st & 22nd) & 9am-5pm (29th)
Location: Syracuse (21st & 22nd) & Virtual (29th)
The NYS TINRC Newsletter is produced by CCSI. The views, opinions, and content expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of the New York State Office of Mental Health (NYS OMH).
