Welcome to our last newsletter of the year. As we approach the New Year, there are many who might say "good riddance" to 2016, given the almost constant background noise that we have all been subjected to throughout this very contentious (and seemingly never-ending) election process.
I am often asked whether we experience any kind of increase in the frequency or severity of the calls that we receive during stressful times. In other words, is there an increase in individual crises and threats of violence when the general stress level in our environment (or in society in general) increases?
While we have not conducted any kind of controlled study, I can certainly state that we have been quite busy this year, especially during the past couple of months. The American Psychological Association recently reported that
52% of American adults report that the 2016 election has been a significant source of stress. I have had many psychotherapists tell me that the focus of their sessions has been increasingly about the election over this past year.
The Impact of Background Stress
In many of our cases, there is often a perception that a particular event or issue represents a single "cause" that is driving everything. In actuality, stress is often cumulative. This perceived starting point of the crisis may really only represent the "triggering" or "last straw" event. Subsequently, by not taking the time to fully assess the totality of the individual and the environmental and situational factors, we may miss critical potential resolutions and ways to intervene.
In times of environmental or background stress, whether it's a contentious political environment or a "restructure" within an organization, it is important to attend more closely to those individuals and situations that have already been identified as being at risk for whatever reason.
Paying attention to the more vulnerable among us during the more stressful times should be a no-brainer. A fundamental principle in the area of safety prevention is that while we cannot always control or prevent adverse events, we can attend to and therefore
manage the consequences of those events - but
only if we are paying attention.
Safety is always about everyone paying attention. Creating a system within your organization that can identify and manage these high-risk behaviors and events before they result in dangerous consequences is ultimately the only way that any workplace violence prevention can work.
This coming spring, we are excited to be teaming up with
Dr. Todd Conklin, an internationally recognized author and specialist in the area of organizational safety and reliability, to present a 1-day workshop. This workshop is the result of a collaboration of our fields - that focuses on how organizations can more effectively prevent and manage workplace violence on a more comprehensive and systemic level at the core of their safety and security program. There's a brief description below, with more details to follow in January.
In the meantime, I wish you all happy holidays and a safe and productive new year.
Marc McElhaney, Ph.D.
Critical Response Associates
