Other Titles
Empowering Well-Being Advocates: Building a Well-Being Focused Team [Title Slide]
Other Titles
Rapid Presentation Round
Abstract
Background: A large academic health system developed a Team Well-Being Advocate (TWA) training curriculum emphasizing proactive peer support and strategies to address stress injury, unnecessary stressors, and workplace challenges known to erode healthy work environments. Grounded in the research of Dr. Richard Westphal on the stress continuum and Dr. Peggy Plews-Ogan on wisdom practices, the program integrates structured peer support with team-specific data to guide evidence-based well-being interventions at the microsystem level.
Purpose: To describe the design and implementation of a scalable, peer-driven model that promotes healthy work environments across an academic healthcare system using data to identify and reduce unnecessary stressors.
Methods: TWAs, trained staff from all disciplines, complete a structured well-being curriculum that includes appreciative inquiry, effective communication, and strategies for recognizing and responding to stress injury. To complement this work, TWAs use the Wisdom & Well-Being Quick Check (WWQC), a brief, evidence-informed assessment identifying unit-specific stressors and areas of strength. Results guide teams in developing a focused well-being plan emphasizing two elements: (1) sustaining and expanding strengths that enhance engagement and belonging (“Growing the Green”), and (2) addressing one unnecessary stressor that impacts well-being. The WWQC is repeated to evaluate progress and refine interventions at the microsystem level.
Results: Since implementation, more than 150 TWAs have been trained across nursing units, clinics, and interprofessional teams. Units that conducted the WWQC and developed well-being plans reported improved psychological safety, peer connection, and collaborative problem-solving. Several areas demonstrated measurable reductions in turnover and increased staff engagement. TWAs also reported greater confidence in facilitating well-being conversations and stronger partnerships with leadership to address identified stressors.
Conclusions: Embedding trained TWAs within care environments provides a sustainable, evidence-based framework for advancing a culture of team well-being driven by actionable data. The integration of peer support with ongoing assessment aligns with Sigma’s Healthy Work Environment standards of communication, collaboration, and leadership. The TWA model demonstrates how organizations can operationalize well-being as a shared responsibility.
Notes
Speaker notes available in attached slide deck.
References:
Westphal, R. J., & Watson, P. J. (2019). Stress First Aid for healthcare personnel: Practical tools for self-care and peer support. National Center for PTSD, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Plews-Ogan, M., & Owens, J. (2018). The Phronesis Project: Teaching practical wisdom to medical students. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 33(5), 735–738.
Sigma Membership
Beta Kappa
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Workforce, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Sustainable Development Goals, Academic Health Systems, Peer Supporters, Support Groups, Well-Being
Recommended Citation
Anderson, Joel R., "Empowering Well-Being Advocates: Activating Peer Supporters to Build a Well-Being Focused Team" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 2.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/2
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-04-09
Empowering Well-Being Advocates: Activating Peer Supporters to Build a Well-Being Focused Team
Washington, DC, USA
Background: A large academic health system developed a Team Well-Being Advocate (TWA) training curriculum emphasizing proactive peer support and strategies to address stress injury, unnecessary stressors, and workplace challenges known to erode healthy work environments. Grounded in the research of Dr. Richard Westphal on the stress continuum and Dr. Peggy Plews-Ogan on wisdom practices, the program integrates structured peer support with team-specific data to guide evidence-based well-being interventions at the microsystem level.
Purpose: To describe the design and implementation of a scalable, peer-driven model that promotes healthy work environments across an academic healthcare system using data to identify and reduce unnecessary stressors.
Methods: TWAs, trained staff from all disciplines, complete a structured well-being curriculum that includes appreciative inquiry, effective communication, and strategies for recognizing and responding to stress injury. To complement this work, TWAs use the Wisdom & Well-Being Quick Check (WWQC), a brief, evidence-informed assessment identifying unit-specific stressors and areas of strength. Results guide teams in developing a focused well-being plan emphasizing two elements: (1) sustaining and expanding strengths that enhance engagement and belonging (“Growing the Green”), and (2) addressing one unnecessary stressor that impacts well-being. The WWQC is repeated to evaluate progress and refine interventions at the microsystem level.
Results: Since implementation, more than 150 TWAs have been trained across nursing units, clinics, and interprofessional teams. Units that conducted the WWQC and developed well-being plans reported improved psychological safety, peer connection, and collaborative problem-solving. Several areas demonstrated measurable reductions in turnover and increased staff engagement. TWAs also reported greater confidence in facilitating well-being conversations and stronger partnerships with leadership to address identified stressors.
Conclusions: Embedding trained TWAs within care environments provides a sustainable, evidence-based framework for advancing a culture of team well-being driven by actionable data. The integration of peer support with ongoing assessment aligns with Sigma’s Healthy Work Environment standards of communication, collaboration, and leadership. The TWA model demonstrates how organizations can operationalize well-being as a shared responsibility.
Description
Summary: A large academic health system created a Team Well-Being Advocate (TWA) program that advances evidence-based well-being initiatives by training staff to identify and mitigate workplace stressors. Using the Wisdom & Well-Being Quick Check survey, TWAs guide unit plans that sustain strengths and target unnecessary stress. Over 150 TWAs have enhanced engagement, belonging, and psychological safety, creating a measurable culture of well-being across clinical settings.