The State Department held meetings on stress management for its employees after president-elect Donald Trump won the election, The Washington Free Beacon reports.
State's Bureau of Medical Services held the sessions, called "The Emotional Transition: Managing the Stress of Change," between Dec. 8 and 14.
"Change is an inevitable part of the human experience," reads an email invitation, according to the Free Beacon. "We can become paralyzed by fear or allow the experience of change to propel us closer to self-actualization."
Sponsored by the department's Employee Consultation Service, the service was open to all State employees, including interns, contractors, and those working for the U.S. Agency for International Development, who received excused absences from their jobs to attend the sessions.
"Our perspective determines our outcome," the email added. "This seminar is designed to discuss the impact of change; the emotional cycles some people experience when confronted with change, and tools to effectively manage the stress of change."
According to Steve Shih, deputy associate director for senior executive service at the Office of Personnel Management, this transition may be especially difficult because of the change in political parties, in an interview with Government Executive in December.
"In many ways … people expect significant change with the upcoming administration given the change in the political party," he said.
"This is a transition where one party will be in charge of the House and the Senate, as well as the executive branch, so because of this, there is a greater potential for a reform agenda that involves greater change.
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