The recent kidnapping, murder, and dismemberment of a young boy in one of New York's boroughs reminds me that a post-event condition oft-ignored deserves to be included in the "recovery" portion of holistic risk management plans.
That condition is mental trauma, often called "post traumatic stress syndrome."
We no longer are a people accustomed to being told to "suck it up and get on with your life."
Now we need a therapist to guide us back to an even keel. Perhaps we always did, but just didn't know it.
Whenever an event occurs at a school or involves a school's student, the therapists are called out. It's routine.
Stress, however, is not limited to students.
It can happen to any of us given the right circumstances.
- Loss of home or loved one.
- Loss of a place to work and fear of losing a job.
- Job site terrorism (someone "going postal")
- Dislocation and sometimes simply relocation.
The psyche is a fragile thing.
In order to provide therapeutic assistance to staff and close relatives following an event, there are several things that need to be in place "pre event."
- Therapist
An agreement should be in place with a therapist or group of therapists to be available to personnel on a need basis (the "need" to be determined by the personnel). - Where will mental health professionals meet with employees?
Typically this will be the provider's office, but other options may be necessary. - Visits
Is there a maximum number of visits or will this be set based on the level of the event that caused the trauma? - Policies and procedures
All personnel at all levels need to know the organization's policies regarding mental health providers.- How will provider-patient confidentially be guaranteed.
Will the organization be able to identify the patient? - Who is covered?
Employee, spouse, people residing with the employee? - How will the provider be compensated?
What will the patient be expected to pay, when can the provider expect payment from the organization if that is arranged? - How many visits are allowed
Is a set number appropriate or should the number be determined by the magnitude of the event or the event's impact on the individual?
- How will provider-patient confidentially be guaranteed.
- What are the procedures
- to access the providers
- pay the providers (is this covered by employee insurance, the organization, or will the employee be expected to fund all or a portion of the costs?),
- will the employee be required to report visits to the providers; how will this be done while protecting the employee's privacy?
- to access the providers
Organizations must be aware of all local, state, and national laws relating to provider-patient privacy and care, as well as laws relating to releasing personnel no longer able to function in their job - is a job transfer possible, is there a union involved with its rules?
The risk management practitioner's role is not to answer any of the questions presented above, but to lead management - in conjunction with HR, Legal, and internal or external mental health practitioners, as well as union leaders if a union if involved, to review the issue of post-event trauma.
Failure to attend to event-related mental health issues before an event can result in chaos, reputation damage, and possibly legal action.
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