Page 163 - Anne Bruce - Building A HIgh Morale Workplace (2002)

Winning Back Morale in Emotional Times 143

Three-Step Recovery Program
An effective tool used by Crisis Management
International—a virtual organization of more than 1,400
therapists and psychologists trained in critical incident stress debrief-
ing—is a Three-Step Recovery Program.
In groups of 15 to 20 people, for one or two hours, employees are
helped through three important steps:
1. Telling stories and sharing feelings. It’s often important for sur-
vivors just to tell their stories.This can fulfill employees’ needs to
be validated in their feelings about what took place. It also becomes
a safe place for people to vent.
2. Creating “normalization.” This is when a crisis counselor lis-
tens to and reassures employees that their specific range of reac-
tions and emotions is considered “normal.” This is important reas-
surance for participants.
3. Providing information and education. People who have experi-
enced trauma need to know what to expect. How long will it take
to heal? How soon should a person return to his or her routine?
What signs might indicate the need for more counseling or possibly
therapy?

The Human Side of Crisis

One manager of an insurance company’s in-house employee
assistance program says, “When tragedy strikes, managers need
to remember that there is a ‘human side’ to every crisis that must
be dealt with right away. The goal should be to help employees
return as quickly as possible to normal work and normal produc-

tivity, or at least what’s considered to be the ‘new normal.’”
Sometimes immediate crisis debriefing can help prevent
additional problems for employees, like post-traumatic stress
disorder. The objective is to keep employees from having to use

medications to cope or rely on psychiatric counseling for long
periods of time.

When Life Intervenes

Unfortunately, there’s not a book or a plan that can provide you
with all the answers for handling the most unexpected things