Efforts help organizations where employees are at greatest risk for burnout

LOS ANGELES, April 23 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — Grounded in the belief that traditional approaches to health and wellness alone are not enough, A Thousand Joys (ATJ), a new nonprofit, launched today in Los Angeles. ATJ is a consulting and training firm that helps individuals and organizations move beyond day-to-day survival so they can work smarter, be more productive, and avoid an increasing occupational hazard – burnout.

ATJ's mission is to help individuals and organizations reach their highest potential, and it does so in three ways: deliver services to at-risk individuals in high-need settings; apply practices that have a proven record of success; and promote both traditional and progressive approaches to physical and emotional health. ATJ does this by providing personal empowerment and professional-skills training and coaching to groups, individuals, and entire organizations.

"A Thousand Joys is dedicated to gaining widespread acceptance for integrated mind-body approaches to health and wellness," says ATJ's founder and chairman, Raul Alvarado. "ATJ is about creating balanced programs that transform an organization's culture." Alvarado retired as a senior executive from Accenture in 2007 after 33 years of service.

According to ATJ's managing director, Liza Auciello, Ph.D., that transformation can take many forms and benefits virtually any business or organization.

"Used in combination, traditional and alternative methods can prevent burnout, increase productivity, reduce absenteeism, stimulate innovation, and even save money," Dr. Auciello says.

ATJ brings together experts in business, psychology and organizational management as well as alternative wellness practices such as yoga, meditation and acupuncture. In addition to providing consultation and training, ATJ helps to foster, or "incubate," innovative programs that are especially designed to restore and maintain health, well-being and productivity in and out of the workplace.

ATJ works with all types of organizations, but a particular focus is on social-service organizations whose staffs are at especially high risk for burnout and vicarious trauma. For example, these organizations may include staff therapists whose daily routine involves treating abused and neglected children or counseling victims of domestic violence.

"People in every type of organization face different challenges," Dr. Auciello says. "Yet, in each case, we know that healing is accelerated when treatment is comprehensive."

A Thousand Joys is a nonprofit consulting and training firm on the leading edge of helping businesses and nonprofits achieve their maximum potential. For more information, please visit www.athousandjoys.org.

SOURCE A Thousand Joys