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The basics:
Healthcare leaders discuss rising workplace mental health challenges
AI-related job anxiety is emerging as a major employee stressor
Panelists stressed transparency, training when implementing AI
Supportive workplace cultures can improve retention, wellness and performance
As part of NJBIZ’s latest virtual discussion, stakeholders from New Jersey’s healthcare sector delved into the issue of mental health in the workplace.
Moderated by NJBIZ Editor Jeffrey Kanige, the May 27 panel featured:
Topics covered during the 90-minute roundtable discussion include artificial intelligence’s impact on mental health, balancing compassion with business continuity during employee crises, and creating a culture that values and supports employees.
When it comes to the overall climate regarding mental health, panelists say they observe anxiety over everything from the economy to technology to medical coverage to geopolitical matters.
Clockwise from top left: Moderated by Editor Jeffrey Kanige, the May 27, 2026, NJBIZ Mental Health in the Workplace Panel Discussion included panelists Keri Roberts, director of communications & marketing, Serenium Therapy & Wellness; Darian Eletto, chief clinical officer of Behavioral Health Services, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center; and Marissa Ott, advanced practice nurse, Atlantic Health. – NJBIZ
The world around us
Eletto said, “I think a lot of what we’re hearing is the concerns about the state of the world and how can we respond to the state of the world … There’s a lot of economic turmoil. There’s a lot of economic demands. There’s a lot of stress regarding what’s going on in the healthcare space in itself.
“We have patients who come in every day and they come in at such an acute place because they don’t know if their coverage is carrying or they don’t know if they have coverage … And that is a huge stressor on our staff because we see patients that we know that we care about, we’ve been caring for years who let their health fall off because they were so stressed over whether or not they had the coverage needed to care for themselves,” she said.
Roberts said, “What’s been really interesting for us – especially in the last year or so with the changes going on with technology and AI – for the first time ever, one of the top reasons people are coming to therapy is the state of the world.”
“So, whether that’s from a government standpoint, from what’s going on in the workplace or the economy, people just feel overwhelmed, stressed and not sure how to handle things,” she explained.
Not-so-social social media
“In addition to that, we’re also seeing a high element of loneliness. People are feeling so attached to their streaming devices, their phones, social media, AI, Zoom calls, that they’re really missing on real relationships and friendships,” Roberts said.
The practice is also seeing more parents of kids from middle school through college asking how to help their children navigate challenges and uncertainty in today’s world, Roberts added.
“People are feeling so attached to their streaming devices, their phones, social media, AI, Zoom calls, that they’re really missing on real relationships and friendships,” said panelist Keri Roberts, director of communications & marketing for Serenium Therapy & Wellness. – DEPOSIT PHOTOS
Social media has become such a trigger that Serenium launched a digital detox program last year, Roberts noted.
“There’s this feeling of feeling like ‘I need to keep up,’ or ‘oh my gosh, my phone is showing me every war image going on or this being blown up.’ And it just feels like you feel helpless. And so, what can I control? What can I not? This is across all ages that we’re seeing that,” she said. “Our 30-day digital reset is in response to people feeling a sense of addiction for a better word to their phone and whether that’s an adult that’s on it or even teens.”
Artificial feelings
Concern over job stability due to the growing adoption of AI is another big stressor, panelists said. “When I think of AI as a brand as a whole, I think it’s been marketed as it’s easy, it’s quick, it’s going to save companies a ton of money,” Roberts said. “And so, from a business standpoint, that’s great.” But employees are increasingly stressed by fears that AI could replace their jobs, while also feeling pressured to dramatically increase productivity using AI tools, she said.
Panelists agreed AI can be a helpful tool in some ways – especially in the healthcare industry – for tasks like notetaking, documentation and scheduling. However, human oversight is always necessary no matter what it’s being used for, they said.
Replay: Mental Health in the Workplace
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Eletto said, “This is a tool. It’s not something that’s meant to replace someone. It is there to help support us … A lot of what we’re also doing within Bergen New Bridge is teaching digital literacy. So, that’s understanding what is AI, why are we using it, what can it help with and how do we use it in your role?”
Because patients often worry that AI will replace human healthcare providers, Eletto said Bergen New Bridge has found that clearly explaining how AI is used and reassuring patients they will still interact with doctors, nurses and therapists help eases concerns.
She went on “I think the biggest thing that we need to do for a lot of our institutions is making sure that people understand what AI is as opposed to what it is not … So, really letting them know how we utilize AI and being open and disclosing that really helps alleviate some of those concerns we’re finding.”
Anti-anxiety AI rollout
For companies that are rolling out AI tools, panelists urged them to be transparent with employees given the anxiety many feel over the technology. They also advocated for clear communication, boundaries and training around AI use.
Not adding up
A Gartner study finds that 80% of billion-dollar companies deploying AI have cut jobs, yet workforce reductions showed little correlation with stronger returns. Read more here.
Eletto said, “We really want to have our staff understand the what are we bringing on and the why are we bringing it on and really making sure we have policies that align that help support our staff as they kind of onboard this into their day-to-day structure. So that involves standard operating procedures, making sure we really do healthily and very smoothly and honestly incorporate this into our day-to-day.”
Ott emphasized the importance of “understanding the level of competency of your staff.” Along with tailoring training to different job roles, experience levels and schedules, she said organizations should give employees dedicated, paid time to learn and ask questions so they aren’t expected to figure out new technology on their own during busy shifts.
“Honestly, my biggest thing is just listen to your employees. They’ll tell you a lot of things. Obviously, grain of salt for sure, but I think if you’re present and you pay attention, I think they’ll give you what you need to help guide them,” she said.
Roberts agreed, saying, “Sometimes it’s a process. A lot of times decisions are made at the top without really thinking about how it affects the people every day.”
The ‘human piece’
As for using AI in therapy, panelists agreed that it cannot replace an actual mental health professional.
Roberts said, “It can be a helpful tool in certain situations, but being able to direct it and guide it is what may be missing for a lot of people and why you need that actual professional help. Loneliness is a thing, too, right? They want someone to just listen, to just have sometimes a sounding board or someone to help them through something. And I don’t think that AI provides that same feeling when you’re not seeing a physical person move and interact in the same way.”
As for using AI in therapy, the panelists agreed that it cannot replace an actual mental health professional. They said professionals are trained to understand facial expressions and body language, something AI cannot re-create. – DEPOSIT PHOTOS
“Whether you do a virtual session with a therapist or in person, so much is in facial expressions and body language that you can’t get from AI. And so somebody may be saying something, but that therapist is trained to understand something’s not right, let me dig deeper here or maybe there’s a different type of treatment we need to use,” she explained, adding, “I think it just goes back to that the human piece is always going to be necessary.”
Eletto agreed, saying, “That cannot be recreated through AI. I thought that was really powerful and important for us to remember, especially when we’re dealing as leaders with staff. Yes, we have AI to help regulate things, to help operate things, but we still have to have human to human connection with our people.”
Promoting a positive culture
Creating and maintaining a culture that supports positive mental health should continue to be a priority for companies, panelists said.
That could take the form of offering flexible schedules to allow employees to handle caretaking of elderly parents or children. That may also involve educating workers on resources that are available to them — whether its social services or programs through health insurance.
Ott said promoting a positive culture can be as simple as urging employees to actually take time for lunch. “I think a lot of times people are like, ‘Oh, I’m just going to work through.’ And they kind of forget that they need that little mental health break. At Atlantic, at the Newton location, they have a walking club. At noon, they meet at the flagpole and everyone goes for a 20-minute walk to get some fresh air, go outside and stretch their legs for your own mental health. Or make those calls to check in with your loved one or your children,” she said.
We need to remember that we are caring for people, but we’re also responsible for our staff.
– Darian Eletto, chief clinical officer of behavioral health services, Bergen New Bridge Medical Center
Eletto said, “We’re a behavioral health center as well as a medical center … we are responsible for individuals because the people caring for our patients have lives outside of here and happy staff help make for better patient care.
“We need to remember that we are caring for people, but we’re also responsible for our staff. So, making sure we have things in place to help support them is so important and making sure they know about what’s available to help support them,” she explained.
Taking care of caregivers
“We can’t pour from empty cups, so we have to remember to be constantly taking care of ourselves and checking in. Just as we do with our staff, we need to do that with ourselves as leaders and as individuals. We need to take care of ourselves too,” she said.
“It does start at the top down … it is the responsibility of those at the highest level to make sure that we’re choosing the right resources for our staff, making sure that we’re disseminating the information to our staff and making sure that culturally we embrace that so that our middle management can disseminate that information,” Eletto said.
Reducing stigmas
Maintaining a culture that promotes mental wellness may also include working to address stigmas associated with therapy, panelists said.
Younger people are generally more open to mental health treatment, while some older generations and cultural groups may still feel hesitant. Even though stigma still exists, more people are talking about mental health than before, which is a positive change, they agreed.
The goal now is to have real conversations that help reduce stigma and make mental wellness a normal part of everyday life and workplace culture, panelists believe.
Eletto said, “I’m glad we’re seeing a generation that is being more open to talking to people as opposed to keeping things inside. So, I think there’s a shift, but I don’t think we’re not quite there yet.”
And while people may go to therapy for diagnosed conditions like anxiety, depression, or obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), they can also go because of life changes or challenges, like losing a loved one, moving somewhere new, struggling at work or having relationship issues. Therapy isn’t just for mental health diagnoses — it can also help people cope with everyday life situations, they said.
Roberts said, “Getting a therapist is just like getting a hairdresser, right? You may not get it right the first time. It’s about finding the right fit for you.”
Check it out
A healthy work environment also includes checking in with employees, panelists said.
Though many companies may be foregoing performance reviews because the current economic conditions prevent them from handing out raises, Ott urged business leaders to still conduct those employee assessments. If not, it’s easy to lose track of what went well for the worker during the year, and it’s important to set goals for the next 12 months, she said.
Business leaders should continue to conduct employee assessments to keep track of what went well for the worker during the year, said Marissa Ott, an advanced practice nurse with Atlantic Behavioral Health in Newton. – DEPOSIT PHOTOS
“And, putting those things in place for when a promotion is available,” she said. “I’ve seen it happen where some of that stuff starts to fall by the wayside or gets skimmed over or it’s not taken as seriously as it should be.”
“But that’s really a pinnacle point for an employee to know that they’re doing what they’re supposed to be doing. And again, setting those goals for the next year as far as what is the expectation, where is it that you want to go? And having that conversation, what do you want to do? Do you like your job and this is where you want to stay? Do you want to be management? Do you want to move to another department?” Ott said.
Roberts said, “Maybe quarterly or at least twice a year, check in with your employees, the manager of that person to ask are you enjoying what you’re doing? What are the things you’re excited about? What do you think you’re really good at that I’m not aware of? Because when people are in those strengths and passions, they’re excited about what they’re doing and then it’s going to help the business.”
“Some people have been in the same position for many years and are burnt out and want something else, or they’re looking for growth and no one’s provided that opportunity or showed them,” she said. “So, I think those conversations can help.”
Roberts also encouraged employers to let workers know when they’ve done a good job because when people feel respected and appreciated “they’re going to stay for a long time.”