Wellness

MAP Benefits

Take advantage of these new member benefits through Mines and Associates! 

WATCH THIS VIDEO TO LEARN MORE!

Counseling
Free and confidential counseling services for everyday life situations including stress, anxiety, depression, family situations, drug and alcohol abuse, relationships, death and grief, and work-related topics. As an member of the Colorado Dental Association, you and each member of your household have up to 5 counseling sessions per life situation*.

Legal & Financial
Practical legal and financial assistance that includes:

• Free 30-minute consult per legal/financial matter.
• 25% discount on select services after the initial consult.
• Use your EAP sessions for financial/Medicare coaching.

Wellness
No matter your wellness goals, MINES can help. You have access to:

• 4 professional wellness sessions with a personal coach.
• 4 sessions of parental coaching & lactation consultation.
• 6 week Virtual Reality smoking cessation program.

Online
Sign on to PersonalAdvantage to access:

• Online Resource Library full of articles, assessments, training, and financial tools designed to beat stress and improve work/life balance.
• eM Life mindfulness service for live sessions, community support, and expert instructors that can help you live a healthier, more balanced life.

FREE and Confidential Support 24/7!

Call Mines at 800-873-7138 or visit minesandassociates.com. Reference code: codental

Facts About Dentistry and Burnout

The research that’s been done so far has told us, time and time again, that dentists are burnt out and need support.

• Between 67% and 86% of dentists report moderate to severe occupational stress.
• More than 1 in 5 dentists meet the criteria for moderate clinical depression.
• Dentists have historically had a higher rate of suicide than people in other professions, although we need more research to be able to say for sure why this is.
• Dentists who have perfectionistic tendencies are more likely to burn out.
• One study found that dentists are around 50% less likely to seek help and tend to be more isolating. An isolated working environment is one of the things that contributes to burnout for dentists.
• Over half of dentists report that they don’t want to seek help because they feel like they should be able to resolve their problems on their own.

This research doesn’t suggest that, if you work in dentistry, you’re bound to become burnt out or depressed. In fact, studies also show that many dentists live happy and fulfilled lives, and most are satisfied in their careers overall.

That said, dentists do face unique stressors and challenges. And, ironically, what makes people good dentists—perfectionism and a near-obsessive attention-to-detail—also makes them vulnerable to burnout, anxiety and depression. This, coupled with the fact that dentists are less likely to seek help, make dentists more likely to burn out.

Signs of Burnout

If you know how to recognize signs of burnout when they’re happening, then you can seek support so it doesn’t get any worse.

Some of the most common signs of burnout that dentists report include:

• Emotional exhaustion
• Apathy, or feeling like you are emotionally disconnected from your work
• Helplessness: feeling like no matter what you do, you aren’t doing a good job
• Having less and less time for family and friends
• Lack of energy
• Feeling worn down at the end of a workday
• Dreading going into work in the morning
• Feeling that every minute spent at work is exhausting
• Resentment toward patients
• Self-doubt, and feeling like you don’t make a difference

If you’re unsure about whether or not you’re facing burnout, the American Dental Association has created a Dental Burnout Self-Assessment that you can take online.

When and How to Ask for Help

Many dentists think that a certain level of stress is in the job description; they don’t think they need professional support for something that everyone else in the profession faces, too. While that may be true, to a degree, we all have the capacity to handle some stress on our own. At the same time, when it comes to burnout and your profession, it’s better to get help sooner rather than later.

If you recognized yourself in any of the listed signs of burnout (or the online self-assessment), it’s important that you seek support. This can feel uncomfortable, especially if you already feel like you should be able to handle things on your own. But seeking support is not a sign of weakness. You’re only human, and you can’t do it all. Recognizing the fact that you need support is a sign of dedication toward yourself, your patients and your loved ones. It’s a sign that you’re willing to do whatever it takes to give your best self to this work.

A professional therapist can:

• Listen to your concerns without judgment
• Teach you skills you can use to bring down your stress levels
• Help you make a plan for your life that makes sense to you
• Normalize and validate your feelings
• Help you challenge unhelpful thinking patterns that may be contributing to stress
• Support you in building healthy habits that improve your life