At A Glance

Due to the changing landscape of workplaces, there is now increased attention on the mental health needs of workers across the nation. Clemson University expert Thomas Britt explains the importance of prioritizing mental health in the workplace for those in high-risk occupations, including but not limited to military personnel, police officers, firefighters, first responders and intelligence analysts. Britt can provide insight into how the stigma of mental health and other barriers to care influence employees in high-risk occupations seeking mental health treatment. Additionally, Britt can explain why it is important that employers create a supportive psychosocial climate where employees feel like their mental health matters.

Bio

Thomas Britt, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology and the Prisma Health Sciences Research Director for Clemson University. Before joining Clemson in 2000, Britt received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida before entering active duty as a research psychologist in the U.S. Army. He was stationed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR)-Heidelberg, Germany Unit and then at the WRAIR in Forest Glenn, Maryland. He has published numerous articles on resilience and stress, as well as a book with Steve Jex titled “Thriving Under Stressful Work: Harnessing Work Demands.” His current research interests include meaningful work, burnout, and well-being among emergency medicine personnel and the determinants of mental health treatment seeking among employees in high-risk occupations. His research has been funded by the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and NASA.

Britt has been involved in health-related research for over 20 years, has published over 100 empirical articles and multiple book chapters, and has been an editor for two books and a 4-volume series in the area of Military Psychology. His current research programs investigate how stigma and other barriers to care influence employees in high-stress occupations seeking needed mental health treatment and the identification of factors that promote resilience among employees in high-stress occupations. Additional research interests include the determinants of employee resilience and whether employees receive needed mental health treatment following their exposure to stressors in the workplace, as well as stress, fatigue and burnout among healthcare professionals, with a focus on emergency physicians.

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    Highlights

    • Mental health
    • Workplace mental health
    • Psychology
    • Organizational psychology
    • High-risk occupations

    Degrees, Institutions

    • Ph.D., Social Psychology, University of Florida
    • M.A., General Psychology, Wake Forest University
    • B.A., General Psychology, College of William and Mary