Employee Health and Wellness

Accessing Mental Health Resources from Home 

High-quality mental health services are available through the following services: 

  • ThriveNYC’s guide. It identifies services for all New Yorkers, as well as those tailored to the needs of aging New Yorkers, veterans, students, and young people, as well as people harmed by violence, crime, or abuse.
  • The New York City Employee Assistance Program (EAP). The NYC EAP is offering the same services as in the past, continuing to promote stress management, mental health, self-care, education, referrals, and resources to assist you and your family during this very difficult time. But now all the EAP’s services will be provided via phone, text, and/or video calls, with expanded hours from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. You can contact the EAP by email at eap@olr.nyc.gov or call and leave a message at 212-306-7660.

All services are free to New Yorkers and City employees, regardless of insurance coverage or immigration status. For updates, follow the Mayor’s Office of ThriveNYC on Twitter, at @MentalHealthNYC. And as always, NYC Well is available 24/7 to provide a range of mental health support for all New Yorkers and can be reached by calling 1-888-NYC-Well (692-9355), texting “Well” to 65173, or on the web at nyc.gov/nycwell.

WorkWell NYC 

WorkWell NYC is New York City’s workplace wellness program. Their mission is to empower all 380,000 City employees to live healthy, active lifestyles – at work, at home, and beyond. The WorkWell NYC team offers convenient, accessible programs, tools, and resources to support employees at every stage of their wellness journey. Visit the WorkWell NYC website to explore each of their program areas and discover how WorkWell NYC can support you and your worksite. 

Mindfulness 

Opportunities from the Mindfulness at Work Employee Resource Group (ERG) 

The mission of the Mindfulness at Work ERG is to foster a diverse, collaborative, and growth-minded workplace community where NYCDOE employees with an interest in the secular practices of mindfulness can apply and share those strategies with the greater NYCDOE community. To further this mission, the Mindfulness at Work ERG offers regular programming to the central, district, and borough office employee community (no experience necessary): 

To learn more about the Mindfulness at Work ERG, visit the Mindfulness at Work ERG page on the InfoHub. To become involved in the group, become a member, or for additional information, email Mindfulness@schools.nyc.gov. 

Opportunities from the Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Preparation Program (YMTP²) 

The Yoga & Mindfulness Teacher Preparation Program (YMTP²) was created by a group of New York City Department of Education educators as the nation’s first Yoga Alliance certified yoga and mindfulness school owned by a local education agency through the NYCDOE. YMTP² constructed the theory of Mindful Behavior(ism) in the summer of 2018 to answer the essential question: How might each individual who enters a schoolhouse everyday choose to behave in a manner that affirms the humanity of each being?​ 

The group’s mission: By 2030 every New York City Department of Education public school will have a certified yoga and mindfulness teacher. Learn more about this program by visiting their YMTP² About Us page. Weekly offerings:

  • Wednesdays, 2 – 2:45 p.m.: Mat-based livestream practice led by YMTP² teachers.
  • Fridays, 2 – 2:45 p.m.: All-accessible chair yoga and mindfulness livestream practice led by YMTP² teachers.

Both weekly offerings are accessible YMTP² weekly offerings are available online on the YMTP² home page: https://www.ymtpp.org/home. If you are having trouble logging on visit the joining live event page). 

To connect with YMTP² and for general inquiries, please email YMTPPinfo@gmail.com. 

The Mind Body Center’s D31 Movement and Mindfulness Training for NYCDOE Educators 

The mission of the Mind Body Center is to empower educators to embody practices that bring awareness to D31 communities in order to live centered and purposeful lives. The D31 Movement and Mindfulness Training was created for NYCDOE Educators by staff from the DOE’s Staten Island Borough Office. This course will engage participants in a series of practices designed to develop tools for centering. Participants will awaken inherent insights that help them respond to life and create a space for choice. Completion of this course will leave educators empowered to lead themselves and their school communities with clarity and purpose. 

Employees can access the class site online. 

To connect with the Mind Body Center team and for general inquiries, please email Jen Korten (JKorten@NCDOEMindfulness.com), SI Mindfulness Lead, AP Curtis High School.

Rights of Nursing Mothers in the Workplace

DOE employees needing to express breast milk at work have the right to request a lactation space. All managers should proactively identify a lactation space that could be made available if an employee needing to express breast milk at work requests a lactation space through the process set forth in the policy. Personnel Memorandum #1, 2024-2025, describes this process, as well as the requirements that this lactation space must meet. More information about the rights of nursing mothers in the workplace is available on the rights of nursing mothers in the workplace page.