Consulting

In addition to being a therapist, I spent a decade in healthcare leadership positions and am committed to making our workplaces more sane, productive and positive places. Below are consulting services that I offer.

Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue

If you work in a helping profession, the cumulative effect of helping others through difficult and traumatic experiences can weigh on you. Over time, you may experience the following signs of compassion fatigue, or what we used to call burn out:

• Feeling mentally and physically tired
• Difficulty concentrating
• Neglect of yourself
• Constantly overworking
• Frequent complaining
• Excessive self-blame
• Chronic feelings of sadness, apathy, helplessness, hopelessness or loneliness

You can recover from vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue. I help individuals and provide organizations with debriefings that include practical self-care techniques.

Workplace Bullying

Sadly, according to a 2013 study by NIH, workplace bullying is all too common in the healthcare sector. Bullying is defined by its on-going, often escalating, negative communication including insults, outbursts, avoidance, humiliation, manipulation and sabotage. There are negative consequences for the individual and the organization including:

• Turnover and absenteeism
• Loss of motivation
• Stress induced illness
• Decreased productivity
• Increased errors
• Lost customers

The good news is that this unhealthy culture can be shifted. My work begins with an assessment of the culture and communication patterns. I then customize a set of recommendations for your organization. These can include individual communications reviews, positive workplace agreements, coaching and communication training. Most importantly, there has to be an on-going action plan. If you have questions or concerns about your workplace, give me a call.