Part 2 of Stress Today

Three causes of stress have been identified;

• Organisational
• Life events
• Ourselves!!

As a therapist it is important once you have gained your qualification in anatomy ad physiology and studied the stress response, also known as fight, flight or flee to have a good understanding about the causes of stress and to ask your clients about their stress levels. 

Organisational Causes of Stress

• Increased workload/excessive workload                               
• Job insecurity                                                                         
• Rapid change                                                                         
• Long working hours                                        
• Work intruding into home life                                   
• Continual crisis management                                                
• Poor communication                                                 
• Lack of recognition                 
• Personality factors                                                                 
• No work culture or support                                                    
• Bullying
• Sexism
• Employee complaints
• Managers                                                                               
• Not enough work
• Harassment                                                                            
• Too much work
• Racism                                                                       
• Work too repetitive
• People who don't deliver                                                       
• Too many rules
• Lack of interest                                                                       
• Appraisals
• Lack of trust                                                                            
• Fear of redundancy
• Being isolated                                                                        
• Fear of redeployment
• Boring work                                                                            
• Threat of others being better
• No involvement in decision making
• Lack of promotion opportunities
• Lack of interest of manager
• Lack of support from manager
• Environmental Factors
• Poor work environment
• Air-conditioning
• Central Heating
• Noise
• VDU'S
• Lack of space
• Light
• Phones
• Travelling

Life Events

No matter how professional your therapy clients, it is sometimes impossible to prevent their private lives from encroaching on their work.

Employee assistance schemes (EAP’S) and counselling have been in place in the UK for more than twenty years and are proving cost effective, according to the EAP Association. A third of the US workforce is now thought to be covered by a programme and in the UK, where programmes are available, usage varies from 2 per cent to 30 per cent of the workforce.  A usual EAP will consist of up to eight one hour sessions, covering issues such as financial and legal problems and one to one counselling. if is worth asking a very stressed client if they have suc a scheme at their place of work.

Ourselves

We all have moments of courage, confidence, certainty, productiveness, joy, contentedness, achievement, inspiration, creativity..... Yet sometimes along the way people lose their direction, drive and commitment.

Stress management for your clients through your therapy can help to "unpeel layers of the onion"; blocks and barriers that have developed over time to quash a person's potential, for example:

Negative or set ways of thinking

Stressors

Loss of confidence

Loss of direction

Loss of motivation

Lack of self belief

Poor communication

Loss of energy

Next week we will look at the stress response in detail. 

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