A shooting. A car crash. A fire. We read of disasters all the time, but most of us are lucky enough to go through our lives without seeing one. Even when we're hit by a tornado, earthquake, or other calamity, we may very well be spared the sight of severed limbs, the sound of victims screaming, or our own physical pain.
Knock on wood-but realize that it can happen to you or someone you know. Working in an insurance agency, you undoubtedly have customers that will suffer, or at least witness, tragic accidents. How can you help them deal with this trauma? If it's you, a family member, or an employee who have experienced a dire event, how can you surmount the stressful reaction and resume a productive, happy life?
TYPICAL RESPONSE TO STRESS
People who witness a tragic accident have a wide variety of reactions. About 10 years ago, I saw one-and fell victim to the attitude that I did not need help. The following 90 days were a blur of mixed emotions. I had periodic flashbacks, wild emotional swings, nightmare-interrupted sleep, decreased productivity, anger, and depression.
Now I'm keenly aware of the importance of critical-incident stress counseling and strongly recommend that anyone witnessing such an event contact a trained counselor as soon as possible after an incident (24 to 72 hours). If the person experienced the trauma without actually witnessing it, there may be feelings of guilt and responsibility that also need to be dealt with. In Critical Incident Stress Debriefing, Mitchell and Everly write, 'Critical-incident stress debriefing accelerates the rate of normal recovery in normal people who are having normal reactions to abnormal events.'
If the event has happened to you or a co-worker, realize that it may have a ripple effect that will touch all your employees. Many companies have brought in a stress counselor to speak to their employees about the incident and some of the residual effects to expect. This counseling brings a great deal of comfort to the company and facilitates an internal support system that will see people through the crisis.
You can't force counseling on anyone, of course. It's the prerogative of a witness to take advantage of the offer of counseling-but it's the company's responsibility to make the offer. A witness who refuses counseling should at least be offered a ride home, since operating a vehicle in a highly charged emotional state is dangerous.
The purpose of critical-incidence stress counseling is to return the witness to a normal personal life and a productive professional life as quickly as possible. The rewards of this type of counseling are felt by both the employee and the company. What's more, a client who has received your advice to see a good counselor-or a referral to one-will always remember your agency's caring and helpfulness. Far from being an extra, counseling is the right thing at a bad time.