Closely Monitor Mental Health of White House Staff

Brief
Working in the White House, by all accounts, is a stressful job. It can exacerbate existing mental health issues, or trigger latent ones.

While mental health can be improved and those who suffer from issues are often productive members of society, staying well requires constant work. Additionally, the information that flows through the White House, and the work done there, is of utmost importance.

There should be a White House Psychologist group whose job it is to monitor the mental health of employees serving in the executive branch. All those employed – including the president – should undergo regular mental health evaluations, and the psychologists should be free to make recommendations as to each individual’s fitness for whatever office they hold and refer people to the White House Chief of Staff. ''Being a senior government official is a stressful job. It stands to reason that there should be a psychologist on staff who is able to treat people, help them sort through issues and flag potential problems. My brother is a psychology professor—I believe in the power and good that the discipline can do. We should be 100% confident that people in power don’t have severe psychological problems. This will also help reduce the stigma around counseling for those who would benefit from it, which is pretty much everybody.''

Problems to be Solved

 * Mental health issues need to be monitored better in the executive branch, all the way up to the President
 * We should work on removing the stigma attached to mental and emotional issues that are commonplace

Goals

 * Ensure good mental health for those running the executive branch of the federal government
 * Treat mental health issues for those serving in the White House
 * Destigmatize mental health issues

Guiding Principles

 * Health
 * Safety

As President, I will…

 * Hire a White House psychologist corps and require all employees of the executive branch to undergo regular evaluations to determine their fitness for service.  The White House psychologist corps would report to the Chief of Staff.