Caring for the Mental Health of Rhode Island’s Healthcare Workers

Working in healthcare has always been demanding, but for many Rhode Island nurses, aides, and support staff, the past year has felt heavier than usual. Between long shifts, short staffing, and ongoing concerns about strikes and labor disputes at places like Kent and Butler, it can feel like the stress never stops. Even for those not directly involved in negotiations or pickets, the uncertainty around staffing and the ability to fully care for patients adds another layer of pressure that can be hard to shake. 

For a lot of healthcare workers, that stress does not end when the shift is over. It follows you home in the form of racing thoughts about how your patients are doing, fears about how work changes might affect your income, and the exhaustion of always feeling like you are running on empty. Over time, this kind of pressure can lead to burnout, anxiety, and a sense of being disconnected from the parts of life that used to bring you balance. 

At Brightside Behavioral Health, we work with many local healthcare professionals who feel this weight every day. Some come to therapy looking for tools to manage their anxiety and improve sleep. Others need a space to process the emotional toll of their jobs or to talk through the guilt and frustration that can come with working in a system that often feels like it is stretched too thin. 

Therapy can help you reconnect with yourself and build ways to cope, even when your work life feels unpredictable. Whether you need short term support to get through a stressful period or ongoing therapy to help you find steadiness in the middle of it all, our team is here for you. We offer flexible scheduling, evening hours, and telehealth so that care can fit into your busy life. 

If you work in Rhode Island healthcare and feel like the stress is starting to take over, reach out to Brightside Behavioral Health. Taking care of yourself is not selfish, it is what allows you to keep showing up for your patients, your family, and yourself.