PRESQUE ISLE, Maine – The University of Maine at Presque Isle’s Employer U program will host the first session in its four-workshop series Mental Health for “Wealth,” which focuses on workforce mental health and wellbeing in rural communities.
The session Healthy, Wealthy, and Wise takes place Thursday, Feb. 17 from noon to 1 p.m. via Zoom, and will be led by Angela Fileccia, LCSW, director of the Healthy Life Resources program at Northern Light Acadia Healthcare. This workshop will focus on workplace mental health and its impact on organizational success. All are invited to attend this free virtual event.
Fileccia has 20 years of experience in the field of behavioral health with extensive expertise and knowledge of mental, behavioral and social health needs of patients. She was the chief care management officer at Maine’s largest FQHC and helped found Unlimited Solutions Clubhouse, a SAMSHSA evidence-based psycho-social rehabilitation model for people with severe and persistent mental illness. In 2013, she received the Behavioral Health Excellence award from the Maine Primary Care Association and won the Unsung Hero Award in 2016. She was awarded the 2021 Outstanding Alumni Award from the University of Maine School of Social Work.
Currently, she leads Acadia’s holistic mental health and wellness program, Healthy Life Resources. This program works directly with employers to provide mental wellness services to employees, reducing stigma associated with mental health services, educating employees on mental wellness, and assisting at-risk employees.
“The goal of these workshops is to help educate employers on how best to address issues of employee mental health, workplace violence, on the job substance abuse, workplace injury prevention, and overall workforce wellbeing,” Kim Jones, director of Employer U, said. “Additionally, presenters will provide self-help information, making these workshops relevant and beneficial to anyone.”
The workshop series is one part of an expansive Rural Health and Wellbeing Grand Challenge Pilot Initiative that includes more than 20 faculty and staff members throughout the University of Maine System as well as State of Maine officials.
All sessions are free and open to the public. All attendees will be entered for a chance to win a $25 gift certificate to Shop N Save (one winner per session will be selected randomly).
To register for any of the sessions, visit https://www.umpi.edu/employer-u/employeru-registration-form/ and select Mental Health for “Wealth” Workshop from the dropdown menu. For more information, contact Jones at kimberly.a.jones@maine.edu or 207-768-9459.
UMPI’s Employer U program, established in 2015, is designed to provide ongoing professional development opportunities through dynamic, customized trainings that meet the unique workforce needs of its clients across Aroostook County with a focus on each organization’s culture, resources, and purpose. Employer U delivers program content full of immersive, hands-on experiences, and in a variety of ways to ensure participants—regardless of their learning styles—are able to understand, retain and apply the information. Existing programs, such as American Management Association certification, the Young Professionals Institute, and K-12 educator CEU courses, are delivered through Employer U, with new offerings being added frequently to address topics relevant in today’s and tomorrow’s workplace.
