Title: 1) Owner; 2) Manager of Employee Well-being Center of Excellence
Company: 1) First Help LLC; 2) St. Luke’s Health System
Location: Boise, Idaho, United States
Michelle Arnett, MHS, Owner at First Help LLC and Manager of Employee Mental Health and Well-Being Support at St. Luke’s Health System, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Healthcare Professionals for dedication, achievements and leadership in Mental Health Support.
Ms. Arnett has established herself as a leader in program development and evaluation, with a particular focus on critical incident stress management, stress and burnout prevention, and psychological first aid. Her expertise extends to public speaking, motivational interviewing, writing and documentation, which have been pivotal to her success. Ms. Arnett is recognized for her ability to deliver workshops on stress management and burnout, teach critical incident stress management techniques and lead teams that provide emotional and psychological support to staff following complex cases or unexpected situations.
Since 2023, Ms. Arnett has served as the owner of First Help LLC, where she conducts workshops on stress management and burnout, provides virtual support via Zoom and consults with organizations to develop critical incident stress management programs. She is also a sought-after speaker at various events, sharing her knowledge on acute-phase support and organizational well-being.
In addition to her entrepreneurial role, Ms. Arnett assumed the role of manager of the Employee Well-being Center of Excellence at St. Luke’s Health System. Since 2022, she has been instrumental in establishing and expanding critical mental health support programs within the organization.
When Ms. Arnett joined St. Luke’s Health System, there were no formalized resources for mental health support. Through her leadership, she implemented peer support initiatives and developed online psychological first aid training for staff, which includes continuing medical education units. Under Ms. Arnett’s direction, the critical incident stress management program has responded to more than 700 requests for support over the past five years, positively impacting over 3,500 individuals. Additionally, she built a team of program managers, demonstrating her commitment to process improvement and evidence-based practices in mental health support.
Affiliated with St. Luke’s since 2019, Ms. Arnett began as a program coordinator for employee safety and well-being. In this role, she coordinated initiatives aimed at supporting staff well-being during challenging circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ms. Arnett previously served as a fund development manager at Terry Reilly Health Services. She also excelled as a research associate at The Center for the Study of Aging at Boise State University, beginning in 2014, where she was engaged in research projects focused on aging populations.
Earlier in her career, Ms. Arnett enjoyed a tenured career as the owner and designer of Arnett Designs from 1997 to 2011. During this period, she provided graphic design services while also working as a graphic designer for the art department at Roller Printing in Santa Fe between 1999 and 2002. Among other opportunities, Ms. Arnett held adjunct faculty positions at Santa Fe Community College from 2008 to 2011 and at Boise State University between 2015 and 2022.
Ms. Arnett’s academic background is extensive. She earned an Associate of Applied Science in graphic design/media arts from Santa Fe Community College in Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 2001. Subsequently, she received a Bachelor of Science in sport management with an emphasis on fitness and wellness, summa cum laude, from California University of Pennsylvania in California, Pennsylvania, in 2013. Ms. Arnett also earned a master’s degree in health science with a concentration in health promotion from Boise State University in Boise, Iowa, in 2016, complemented by a graduate certificate in gerontological studies from the same institution that year.
In addition to her formal education, Ms. Arnett holds numerous certifications that underscore her commitment to professional excellence. Among them, she is a certified health and wellness coach, holds a suicide awareness certification for first responders, is an accredited lifestyle medicine health and wellbeing coach, and holds credentials as a behavior change specialist, as well as the designation of a master health and wellness coach.
Ms. Arnett’s professional affiliations include membership in the Society for Human Resource Management, reflecting her commitment to industry standards in human resources management. Her contributions extend beyond her work-related endeavors into civic engagement with organizations such as Friends Furever Animal Rescue, the Idaho Trails Association and the Wood River Trails Coalition.
An accomplished author and contributor to scholarly publications, Ms. Arnett’s work has been published in Medical Professionals Treasure Valley, Frontiers in Public Health and other notable publications.
Ms. Arnett’s achievements have been recognized with several awards, including the Caring Heart Award for Excellence in Teamwork for Critical Incident Stress Management at St. Luke’s Health System in 2024.
Looking ahead, Ms. Arnett plans to grow her business to become a full-time self-employed professional while continuing to help organizations enhance their psychosocial health and well-being. She also aims to guide companies seeking to improve their workplace culture, employee satisfaction, psychological safety, assessment and psychosocial risk mitigation, emphasizing positive interactions among employees within their work environments. Ms. Arnett’s career reflects an unwavering dedication to advancing mental health support systems, fostering resilience among health care professionals, and promoting evidence-based practices across diverse settings.
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