| > Home |
| > About us |
| > Donations |
| > Volunteers |
| > Contact Us |
| > Training |
| > Groups |
| > Businesses |
| > Community |
| > Counselling Services |
| > Teen Life |
| > Mediation |
| > Marriage Preparation & Enrichment |
Addressing levels of trauma and the impact of trauma employees
- If you have survived a traumatic event such as hijacking, armed robbery, torture, xenophobic violence physical and sexual abuse, rape, motor vehicle accident, domestic violence, childhood neglect, armed combat, HIV/AIDS...
- If you are the family member or close friend of someone who has survived a traumatic event,
- If you have not received psychological support and do not have access to psychological support, AND
- If you are still suffering the long-term effects of this event such as high levels of health problems, major depression, post traumatic stress disorder or other conditions that might result from exposure to traumatic stress including and a desire for revenge and retribution,
¹Associated with trauma are high levels of health problems, substance and physical and emotional abuse, major depression and mental health diagnostic categories including panic disorder, social phobia, generalised anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, and a desire for revenge and retribution is common. Internalised racism can also adversely affect mental health. Chronic stressors like economic hardship and HIV/AIDS may contribute to an individual’s ability to cope with violence - South Africa’s long violent past has resulted in very high levels of violent crime associated with poor economic growth, high levels of poverty, widespread unemployment, an under-resourced social system with serious psycho-social consequences. In addition, in the work environment, employees are increasingly confronted with changing technologies, greater job insecurity, heavier workloads, rapid organisational transformation and longer working hours, all impacting on the family and personal life.
To achieve our goal of promoting healthy employees and their families, Family Life Centre ensures that the team of professional staff:
- are highly skilled social workers or psychologists
- have access to psychiatrists, psychologists or lawyers for consultation
- receive ongoing development training
- attend workshops and seminars on the current trends in services in the work place.
Their combined experience, knowledge and skills provide an excellent service to all members of the community.
During the last year The Family Life Centre reached 66120 people through their consulting and preventive programmes.
The Emotional Health of your Business
The emotional health of any business is like the emotional health of a family. The people that live and work in it often have different levels of emotional health. An emotional "thermometer" does not give the causes of illness but will be an indicator that something is wrong. It will need the attention of the "family". Interruptions caused by imbalance need attention.
Indicators of Emotional Temperature
Stress
When people are in relationship crises, emotions take over and they regress to primitive coping mechanisms like fighting, fleeing, freezing and submitting. These mechanisms require energy and physical resources, leaving people exhausted. If these issues are not resolved, the stress and pain goes under cover and takes revenge at times when least expected. The demand for attention on a company can then be more time consuming, more costly and will require more expertise to handle.
Burnout
When a person is exposed to trauma, or has not mastered stress, or is overburdened by the strain of everyday living, and is finding him/herself stretching more and more to cope, burnout with resultant depression is the very next small step to breakdown.
Trauma
Trauma is defined as:
"an emotional state of discomfort and stress resulting from memories of an extraordinary catastrophic experience which shatters the survivor's sense of invulnerability to harm"
It can be relived in traumatic stress symptoms of arousal, intrusions and avoidance.
The process of healing in the case of trauma requires early intervention (within 24 hours) and subsequent professional support (debriefing and therapy).
Fearing discrimination at the workplace, stress and trauma victims may not disclose their stories and the subsequent effects. The disclosure of weakness and pain may jeopardize their jobs.