CopeColumbia

Peer-Support Services

CopeColumbia peer-support services are available to all CUIMC faculty and staff. Sessions provide an opportunity for employees to talk about their experiences, ask questions, and obtain guidance and practical suggestions for coping and wellbeing from our psychiatry faculty. Services are confidential, virtual, and free of charge.

What to Expect

We are here to support you during this time of crisis. Sessions focus on short-term support and resilience building. If a need to pursue more formal mental health attention is identified, we will assist you in accessing the right resources.

Services Offered

  • Individual Time with Psychiatry Faculty: Confidential and virtual one-on-one sessions with a faculty member from psychiatry focused on stress management and coping. These 20-minute sessions are meant to be practical and supportive, with an emphasis on enhancing resilience and providing guidance. To schedule a one-on-one session with a psychiatry faculty member, please call 646-774-6311 or email Copecolumbia@cumc.columbia.edu.
  • Peer Support Groups: Confidential and virtual department-specific peer support groups are facilitated by psychiatry faculty members. The 30-minute sessions focus on enhancing resilience, sharing experiences, strengthening social support, and coping in the face of the numerous challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These are not psychotherapy groups, and sessions will not be recorded. This is a confidential, peer-to-peer support process with two psychiatry faculty facilitating the process. To schedule a peer support group session, contact CopeColumbia@cumc.columbia.edu.
  • Peer Support Group for Leaders and Managers: Confidential and virtual department-specific support groups are co-facilitated by psychiatry faculty and organizational psychologists from CUIMC HR. The 45-minute peer-to-peer sessions focus on enhancing resilience, strengthening social support, and reinforcing healthy coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants can share the impact of the current crisis on team morale and productivity, and receive practical guidance. To schedule a group session for leaders and managers, contact CopeColumbia@cumc.columbia.edu.
  • Townhalls and Webinars: These are more structured sessions, where departments and services can dedicate a portion of their team meetings to a CopeColumbia presentation or question and answer session related to stress, mental health responses to COVID–19 and other challenges. A psychiatry faculty member will assist in organizing and will be available during the Town Hall. To schedule a townhall, contact CopeColumbia@cumc.columbia.edu.

Emergencies

CopeColumbia is a peer support and wellbeing program for faculty and staff employed by Columbia University Irving Medical Center and Columbia University. If this is an emergency, please dial 911, go to your nearest emergency room, or contact NYC Well at 888-692-9355. 

Questions

If you have questions about CopeColumbia services or programming, contact CopeColumbia@cumc.columbia.edu.