TMLT’s physician wellness program enters second year

“I started therapy because I felt lost and frustrated at not being able to make progress towards my professional goals. Now I find that the anxiety and fear that hold me back are rooted in past experiences that I was never able to unpack. Sometimes we talk about work, other times we go way back to my youth. Talking about these parts of my life reveal patterns in my behavior. I feel like a massive transformation is taking place in my life. I am able to focus better and connect with others.”
- a physician receiving counseling through the Safe Harbor Physician Counseling Program

TMLT is celebrating its second year offering the Safe Harbor Physician Counseling Program to policyholders. The Safe Harbor program was created by the Travis County Medical Society to help clear the roadblocks many physicians face when considering therapy. It offers a way for physicians to access counseling without the fear that their employer, practice partners, or medical board will know that they’ve accessed it.

TMLT covers the cost of up to four visits for policyholders and four visits for their spouse/ partner with a counselor from Safe Harbor. 

Safe Harbor counseling sessions do not require reporting to the Texas Medical Board or to credentialing entities, as there is no diagnosis made and no insurance is billed. No identifying information is shared between TMLT, the counselors, or the Travis CMS Wellness Program.

“Our launch of Safe Harbor is one of TMLT’s finest achievements. I am so proud and thankful that we can offer this service to our policyholders,” says Robert Donohoe, President and CEO of TMLT. 

“We are living through a difficult time for physicians. If finding solace for just a few hours through this resource is possible, I want to make sure that TMLT does everything in its power to offer this service,” Donohoe says. 

The program offers access to a panel of doctorate-level counselors, vetted by the Travis CMS based on their credentials and experience working with physicians. Counselors can work with physicians to address depression and anxiety; grief counseling; career difficulties; dependency and addiction; relationship issues; family conflicts and parenting; and more.

“My hope for this program is that it will provide an atmosphere or a community where we feel like family and where we feel like we can really talk about our mental health needs; where people can freely access counseling and not be ashamed of it or concerned that it’s going to be reported,” says Dr. Brian Sayers, a rheumatologist in Austin. Dr. Sayers worked with the Travis CMS to create Safe Harbor in 2017.  

Since TMLT began partnering with Safe Harbor in May 2023, 126 policyholders have accessed the program. 

Visit  www.tmlt.org/wellness to access the program or learn more about the counselors

Additional resources

• Podcast — In TMLT’s physician wellness podcast series, hear from therapists Charlotte Howard, Ph.D. and Tori Olds, Ph.D. from the physician wellness program about physician stress and burnout; mindfulness; getting the most out of therapy; and the science behind self-compassion. 
• Webinar — In the “Physician wellness” webinar, Dr. Howard and Dr. Olds share insights and provide tools to support physician wellness. Also available as a CME activity. 
• CME — “Physician wellness: Mental health care is health care” is available on TMLT’s dedicated CME website. 
• Podcast — In our podcast episode, “Stress and burnout: The silent health care epidemic,” Dr. Brian Sayers discusses causes, implications, and solutions for stress and burnout in a health care setting. 
• Presentation  — “What every physician needs to know: Combating physician stress and burnout.”