East Montgomery Times

School staff working in environments with limited resources often face burnout and secondary traumatic stress due to the nature of their roles. These issues can lead to decreased job satisfaction and higher staff turnover. In response, a partnership involving Children's Hospital of Philadelphia led the Stress-Less Initiative (SLI), a 12-session intervention designed to enhance resilience among school staff at personal, team, and organizational levels. The program was piloted in two under-resourced K-8 schools in West Philadelphia.

Researchers from the hospital's Center for Violence Prevention (CVP), the Netter Center for Community Partnerships, and SLI champions conducted interviews with five staff members involved in the program. The findings, published in the journal "Psychology In the Schools," highlighted the program’s impact on personal resilience, team cohesion, and communication among colleagues. Participants reported that their perceptions and interactions with students benefitted positively from the program. "The pilot contributes to a growing understanding of how workplace-based support systems can be adapted to educational systems," said Hillary M. Kapa, MPH, a clinical research associate in the CVP.

Participants suggested that school leader engagement and the integration of such programs with professional development could enhance sustainability and participation. There is an identified need for prioritizing these initiatives to foster a supportive school culture.

This initiative received support from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Impact’s Healthier Together Initiative. The research was documented in the article titled “‘It Gave Us an Outlet’: School Staff Perspectives on Implementing and Sustaining Culturally Relevant Well-Being Initiatives in Schools,” published online on March 6, 2025.