Transforming Health and Resiliency through Integration of Values-based Experiences (THRIVE): Bringing Happiness to Health Care within Department of Veterans Affairs

This work was sponsored by Department of Veterans Affairs / Veterans Health Administration Transforming Health and Resiliency through Integration of Values-based Experiences (THRIVE) improves the overall healthcare experience for Veterans and Veterans Health Administration (VHA) employees through targeted workshops. The multi-faceted clinical program developed at VHA applies evidence-based principles, including positive psychology, whole health, motivational interviewing and acceptance and commitment therapy concepts. Veteran THRIVE is a whole person 14-week clinical workshop delivered as a shared medical appointment by a multi-disciplinary team. Veteran THRIVE has been shown to drive positive clinical outcomes including: • 28% reduction in depression • 29% reduction in anxiety • 11.7% increase in neuroplasticity • 33% reduction in experience of pain • 25% increase in life satisfaction • Increased self-identify and purpose – which may expand lifespan Employee THRIVE workshops focus on healing, building resiliency and reducing burnout. Two sample employee workshop offerings are Power THRIVE and Mini-THRIVE. Power THRIVE teaches clinicians growth mindset, introspection, and rejuvenation skills through four weekly one-hour virtual workshops. Mini-THRIVE teaches employees self-care and mindfulness methods, while exploring how their values fit into their work. Power THRIVE has been shown to increase work satisfaction and decrease burnout: · Scale: Self-reported Stanford Professional Fulfillment Index (SPFI) measuring three domains: (1) work satisfaction; (2) empathy for others; (3) burnout · 58.3% of participants had improved work satisfaction and 53.8% had improved burnout post intervention; 41.6% had improved empathy for others.