As human beings we do not like to feel things are out of our control. We like to feel prepared and make plans for the future. When we can’t do this, due to living and working through a crisis such as Covid-19, we may start to feel out of control, stressed, anxious or depressed. At FD Consultants we facilitate our trademark ‘Stress Management and Resilience Building’ half day workshop, where we refer to the ‘Locus of Control’ model; exploring ‘what do we have control over, and what do we not have control over’? We are forced to reduce our expectations and focus on the smaller achievements when living and working through a crisis. We need to learn ways to accept the things that we cannot control and invest our energy in the things that we can control. The three main characteristics of remaining resilient are; adaptability, finding meaning in adversity, and an acceptance of reality. The human race has shown how adaptable and creative it can be throughout this global pandemic; we have found ways to stay connected and create community remotely, we have improvised and adapted to new ways of working, and we have deeply appreciated our ‘key workers’ and all those that have shown ‘audacity’ and ‘kindness’ through these unprecedented times.
At FD Consultants we psychologically protect our ‘key workers’ and all the organisations that are on the frontline, often having to put themselves in harm’s way to support others. We have supported staff in the NHS, the humanitarian sector, emergency first responders, and mental health charities, who are at risk of experiencing burnout or trauma. We also support the staff that can be overlooked during a crisis, such as journalists, artificial intelligence and film industry personnel, researchers and data analysts reviewing traumatic material online, and fundraisers, who are all equally at risk of experiencing secondary trauma, often referred to as vicarious trauma. Our ‘Trauma and Vicarious Trauma Awareness’ workshop is currently in great demand, as organisations are becoming much more aware of this psychological health risk to staff. This was highlighted recently by a case made against Facebook, where staff sued the organisation for suffering Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for being exposed to traumatic material via social media. At FD Consultants we support organisations managing critical incidents such as, pandemics, natural disasters, civil unrest, bullying & harassment, sexual violence, mental health crises, terrorist attacks and kidnapping & hostage taking. We have offered consultancy to organisations, when managing organisational change, with policy and procedure reviews, improving equal access to psychological services for all staff, researching mental health crisis pathways and investigating critical incident response. When FD Consultants are informed of a critical incident, information is presented to us in anxiety-fuelled chaotic chunks. We need to place all the pieces of the puzzle together to enable us to see the bigger picture. Depending on the nature of the incident this process can take hours, or even days, before we receive all the relevant information needed. We are skilled at transforming chaos into productive and supportive measures to protect individuals and the organisation. We are specialist in trauma care and understand the importance of the initial first stages of support and how crucial this is in someone’s recovery process. We advise and guide organisations in best practice psychological care for staff. Having worked in trauma for over 15 years, I believe that everyone can recover from traumatic events. I hold onto the light of hope when the individual may feel they are lost in the darkness. There is a wealth of research about ‘Post traumatic Growth’. I have seen this occur over and over again, working alongside individuals that have come through the most horrendous and painful experiences, whom become more resilient and use their experiences to help others. My own story is one of post traumatic growth, having come from experiencing developmental trauma in my childhood and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in my early twenties, to one of setting up FD Consultants a network of trauma specialist therapists wanting to support and help individuals and organisations that are impacted by traumatic events. I wanted to end by sharing some of the achievements FD Consultants has experienced over the last year. Our own story of Post Traumatic Growth and how we have grown and developed through this pandemic.
During a crisis we need to work even harder at building and maintaining the resources that keep us resilient. Most of us have had to reassess what these resources are as our options have become more limited due to lockdown and the guidelines to remain Covid safe. Every time I facilitate one of our workshops it reminds me to take care of myself, as this does not come naturally to us. Many neuroscientists believe we have a negative brain bias, and when we are stressed berating thoughts, such as ‘I am not good enough’, ‘I am not coping’, ‘I am a failure’ make a great deal of ‘noise’ in our heads. As with Post-Traumatic Growth the current challenges will enable us to grow and develop. Spend some time creating positive mantras or counterarguments for the negative statements that become a repetitive ‘noise’ in our heads, and remember to offer yourself many acts of kindness during this challenging time. Wishing you a gentle end to a very difficult year. Best wishes, Fiona For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly.
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Back in 2016 an article was published (101 Fundraising) regarding the mental wellbeing of professional fundraisers and how they can be exposed to vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and burnout and yet even today very little support is given to staff in these roles.
It is widely recognised that those on the frontline of caring for others e.g. firefighters, aid workers, paramedics etc are at risk of developing mental health issues, potentially leading to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). There are also so many other roles that could be categorised as high risk due to the level of exposure to traumatic material, such as fundraisers, researchers, and front-of-office staff. While these roles are not on the frontline, pulling bodies from collapsed buildings, medically caring for someone who is severely injured, or supporting a survivor of sexual violence, their role is indeed to help. They are often exposed to listing to traumatic stories of supporters and donors. There is a great deal of research now to show the risk of being effected by traumatic material indirectly, known as vicarious trauma. At FD Consultants we make sure organisations do not overlook the corrosive impact of vicarious trauma, sometimes known as secondary trauma. Research states that by listening to stories of trauma, we can start to be impacted by trauma symptoms, especially if we are empathic or intuitive, as our mirror neurones start to fire in the same way as the person telling us the story. Listening to the media or reading traumatic material can impact us vicariously. We also offer a half-day ‘Trauma and Vicarious Trauma Workshop’. Staff that are identified in ‘high risk’ roles, possibly through the location or intensity of their work, or the risk of being exposed to traumatic material, whether directly or indirectly, would benefit from this workshop. There are many myths and misunderstanding about how to best treat individuals who are traumatised. There is also a great risk of re-traumatising someone, who is suffering from trauma symptoms, without the knowledge from this workshop. Therefore, this workshop is also helpful for managers supporting staff who may be suffering from PTSD or vicarious trauma. Peer support programmes train peers to offer early and good quality support which can prevent an individual’s vicarious trauma developing into post-traumatic stress disorder, or stress developing into burnout. If someone goes off work with stress-related issues they may be off work for a few days, if someone goes off work with burnout, they may be off work for weeks or even months and may never return to the workplace. Additionally, research shows that when an individual receives support early, they will recover quicker, therefore preventing long-term health problems. Please do contact us at [email protected] if you require our psychological support services. For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly. With the recent news that Facebook has agreed to pay £42m to content moderators as compensation for mental health issues developed on the job, it highlights the significant increase in staff being exposed to traumatic material via social media. In 2018, a group of US moderators hired by third-party companies to review content sued Facebook for failing to create a safe work environment. The moderators alleged that reviewing violent and graphic images - sometimes of rape and suicide - for the social network had led to them developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Untreated PTSD can cause permanent damage to the brain due to the person living in a hyper-aroused state. The effects of PTSD can cause someone to put him/herself in danger or even endanger others including his/her family members. Misdiagnosed or untreated PTSD is commonly associated with substance abuse. Drugs or alcohol can act as a coping mechanism, provide a temporary escape or chance to get away or relieve physical and psychological pain. The misuse of alcohol or drugs can lead to a number of other complications in a life already complicated by PTSD. Alcohol and drug use only serve as a temporary solution. Once the substance wears off, a person will be in the same position or a worse one than before. One of the most popular workshops we offer at FD Consultants is our trademark Trauma and Vicarious Trauma awareness workshop for individuals and organisations. The training enables individuals to identify trauma symptoms, triggers, and have resources to process traumatic material. As a preventative training it helps to build a healthy organisational culture, with wellbeing at its heart, ensuring staff are working in a psychologically safe and compassionate work environment. Managers also feel confident to recognise the risk of trauma and help or signpost staff to the most appropriate support. We have seen an increase in demand for these workshops from Journalists, IT Companies, Artificial Intelligence Organisations, Mental Health charities and the Humanitarian Sector where teams are identified as in ‘high risk roles’ likely to be exposed to traumatic material directly or indirectly. FD Consultants are trained in the recommended (WHO, APA and NICE) treatments of trauma and PTSD which are Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT). Please do contact us at [email protected] if you require our psychological support services. For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly. A recent study published by PLOS ONE and carried out by a number of esteemed psychologists has found that Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) appeared to be the most cost effective intervention for adults with PTSD. Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a severe and disabling condition that may lead to functional impairment and reduced productivity. A considerable proportion of people exposed to trauma, around 5.6%, will develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) [1]. For staff in the Humanitarian sector and emergency first responders research has suggested PTSD is as high as 30%. EMDR: how does it work? Francine Shapiro, PhD, Senior Research Fellow at the Mental Research Institute, Palo Alto, California and Executive Director of the EMDR Institute, California, is the ‘originator and developer’ of EMDR. Since then, EMDR has been adapted and reworked based on the research and contributions of therapists and researchers the world over. Initially used as a treatment with Vietnam veterans who weren’t recovering, it has since proven successful in treating various other presentations, including anxiety, phobias, addictions, depression, complicated grief, abuse and performance anxiety. The unique feature in EMDR therapy is that it uses bilateral stimulation (BLS) whilst processing the distressing memory. BLS can be conducted by following the therapist’s hand as it moves from left to right, watching a light bar, or tapping. The same can also be achieved through listening to alternating bilateral tones or holding buzzers. The BLS alleviates negative cognitions, negative emotion and unpleasant physical sensations associated with a traumatic or distressing memory. An important concept of EMDR is the ‘Adaptive Information Processing (AIP)’ theory. This means the client begins to reformulate and update dysfunctional self-beliefs and replaces them with positive self-reflecting beliefs. Therefore, EMDR promotes our innate healing process and reformats dysfunctional information to functional, so that it becomes adaptive information processing. ‘Just as the river flows to the sea and the body heals the wound, EMDR clears the trauma and brings integration and wholeness’ (Parnell, 2007, p. 6). In discussing EMDR, Professor Gordon Turnbull states: ‘Therapists and patients were reporting that problems that had been resistant to years of psychotherapy were being resolved in a very short amount of time – sometimes within a few sessions’ (Turnbull, 2011). In my experience of working within the field of trauma for over 15 years I have never witnessed such a powerful and successful way of working with traumatised and anxious clients: ‘EMDR works effectively and helps the client return to work quickly and safely after a traumatic event’ (Dunkley & Claridge, 2012). FD Consultants are trained in the recommended (WHO, APA and NICE) treatments of trauma and PTSD which are Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (TF-CBT). We have worked extensively with emergency first responders and aid workers globally to combat PTSD and vicarious trauma. All associates have over 10 years’ experience in the profession, are highly skilled, and qualified to meet the requirements to work for FD Consultants. We can offer appointments and training in various languages. Associates have experience of working with the humanitarian sector, emergency first responders and mental health charities. They have worked or lived internationally, facilitate training, and have trauma expertise; making them perfectly placed to support a broad cross-section of society and organisations. Please do contact us at [email protected] if you require our psychological support services. For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly. References 1. Koenen KC, Ratanatharathorn A, Ng L, McLaughlin KA, Bromet EJ, Stein DJ, et al. Posttraumatic stress disorder in the World Mental Health Surveys. Psychol Med. 2017; 47(13):2260–74. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291717000708 PMID: 28385165 Throughout October FD Consultants will be looking at the impact COVID-19 has had on all of us in one way or another. We’ll be focussing on our new webinar service entitled “Living in uncertain times”, sharing tips on how we can all look after ourselves, exploring the positives of living with Coronavirus, and the impact it may have on our future. Coronavirus continues to spread across the world, with 31,664,104 confirmed cases worldwide and 972,221reported deaths (WHO, 24/09/2020), and in many countries the cases continue to surge, while others who believed they had the infections under control are now seeing another rise in cases. This is a learning experience for us all, but no one, including world leaders, have ever experienced anything on this scale for over 100 years, since the 1918 flu pandemic known as ‘Spanish flu’, and so we are living in unchartered territory. Scientists, drug makers and governments around the world are moving with unprecedented haste to develop a vaccine. The aim is to develop one by the end of the year, or early next year, which if successful would be a scientific feat as no vaccine has ever been developed so quickly (which goes to show what can be achieved when we work together). The collaborative working on these vaccines may hopefully mean that we will have more vaccines emerging that can deal with different aspects of the disease. While we wait for the vaccines we have to take individual responsibility for ourselves and to protect each other, such as hand washing, wearing masks and social distancing. Governments across the world have been forced to limit public movement and close businesses and venues in a bid to slow the spread of the virus. This has had a devastating impact on the global economy. Reviewing how COVID-19 has impacted the world it is understandable that it has been difficult for all of us living in these uncertain times to adapt quickly to the challenges we are facing. As human beings we do not cope well with uncertainty, it leaves us feeling as though we have no control over our lives, which means we may feel more stressed, anxious, depressed and powerless. Our minds start to search for answers playing out the ‘what-if’ scenarios, worrying about what might happen, trying to think through every possibility, and desperately trying to find solutions to take back control. However, this doesn’t work, we are not able to predict the future and so uncertainty is inevitable. What happens instead is that we end up feeling overwhelmed, anxious and exhausted. If you recognise these feelings, it is important to remember you are not alone, many of us have experienced these feelings at some point during this time and there are steps we can take to learn to cope with the uncertainty. FLARE is a useful model to refer to when living in uncertain times. FLARE is an acronym that offers a step-by-step approach to managing uncertainty (DR Inna Khazan).
Offer kindness and compassion to yourself and others in these difficult times. Uncertainty is difficult for all human beings. There is nothing you can do to eliminate the uncertainty. Offering yourself and others kindness and compassion will help ease the discomfort of uncertainty. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly. If you want to find out more request one of FD Consultants webinars to support your staff by emailing us at [email protected] Date: Oct 2020 Author: Maddie Nixon (Associate for FD Consultants) |
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