WORKPLACE TRAUMA

 
 

Workers who encounter or witness an abnormal or shocking critical incident or traumatic event can go into shock and/or experience stress and trauma.

Work-related critical incidents can involve your employees or co-workers, other individuals from your organization, or someone related to them, and can occur in the workplace, at a work function, or even outside of the formal work setting.

Examples of critical and traumatic incidents can include:

  • Death of a co-worker, either in the line-of-duty or other workplace incident

  • Serious or life-threatening accident/injury to you or co-workers in the line of duty or other workplace incident

  • A near miss that threatens the health and safety of you or your co-workers

  • Suicide of a co-worker

  • Sudden death of a co-worker – not related to work

  • Loss of a patient after rescue attempts

  • Death of a child or critical incident involving children

  • Violence inflicted on you or a co-worker

  • Violent crime in or near the workplace

  • Events with excessive media interest

  • Natural disasters that affect your work

Certain occupations such as paramedics, fire fighters, police officers, security guards, and health care workers are also more readily exposed to traumatic incidents due to the nature of their work. Other critical incidents may involve individuals in your life that are not related to your work, for example, teammates from your sports club, classmates from your school, members of your community, etc.

Symptoms

You may be experiencing some or all of the following common symptoms:

Emotional Symptoms

  • Shock, denial, confusion

  • Lack of self-worth

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Irritability

  • Difficulty concentrating

  • Inability to complete normal daily functions

  • Withdrawing from others

  • Heightened anxiety about visiting the workplace

Physical Symptoms

  • Sleeplessness

  • Sleeping too much

  • Lack of energy

  • Nightmares of the workplace incident

  • Memory issues

  • Aches and pains

  • Tense muscles

We have the tools to help you heal and move beyond the pain.

At the Grief and Trauma Healing Centre we have trained specialists who are here to help you emotionally overcome the trauma you have faced in the workplace. We offer group debriefing and support, individual therapy and support, and training for managers.