Crisis Trauma Counseling Case

Workplace violence Case 1

Scene created by: Elder Thurman

Months past as morale slowly dissipates down to a level of anxiety.  It seems that the pressure

of the economy and the looming need for the company to hint at making furloughs has sent the

working climate of this Industry into a conflict waiting to happen.  It finally happens, the tension

and unsureness of  job lost has cause one group to be so stressed about being the first ones

to go, that fear created enough tension to cause this terrible accident on the Job to happen.


Quickly following the accident tension erupts over who should be responsible.  One side blames

the other for shirking their duties and putting the company at risk, and the other group blames

the others for not joining with them to launch a complaint to the company about all of the cuts

they have been making for months now.  Many lost vacation time, sick leave, cuts to their

pensions, no more company luncheons, no Christmas parties, and no more free thanksgiving and

Christmas bonuses.


All of this led to this furry.  Blows begin without any more talking.  Stress had built to a level

where peoples emotions were out of control.  Carl Jones throws the first punch knocking

Grammy to the ground.  Then Bruce attacks Carl and pandemonium begins.


Paul Simmons, Duke Cones, Michael Beasley, Barry Jones, and  me, all supervisors of different

sections of the plant jump in to stop this melee before someone got  hurt enough to need

medical attention.  After the fight Carl Jones was escorted by Paul to the company office and

was written up for throwing the first punch.  Still visibly upset Duke Cones  Suggested giving

Carl Jones a three day suspension, because tension was surrounding the fact that Carl had a

reputation as a “Billy Bad But”, so Dukes decision made sense.  Meanwhile Michael Beasley

talks with Grammy to make sure that he was okay and ask if he needed to see a doctor.  Grammy

said no thanks, his pride was hurting more than his jaw, and they both laughed together.   

Bruce was also reprimanded for inciting the fight and jumping in and attacking Carl Jones, so

the decision was also made to send Bruce home for one day since he did not start the fight.


Before Bruce and Carl left the plant, they were both given summons to appear before a crisis

counselor to do a evaluation of their stress levels to determine if they were capable of

maintaining their Jobs at the plant without compounding what ever problems they may be

experiencing off the job.   They both agreed to the schedule meetings set up by their supervisor

Duke Cones.  I thanked all the supervisors for their quick response to bring down this level of

workplace violence.  I applauded Duke for his tactical skills, he got out their in the battle front

defused the element of surprise and removed all probable threats.

                                          Final thoughts   Elder A.L.Thurman

After this incident I rallied all of the supervisors together to discuss what is needed to combat

this workplace tension.  This step is just the beginning  in creating something wonderful to

combat the potential of further incidents in the future which possibly could lead to a fatality.


The future of this company will look different after what we have just experienced.  It shined

light on the need to re-store morale among worker in an Industry type environment.  We must

train new leaders that creates change within our environment and our workplace.  Managers

manage what is already there, but leaders create change to the environment and the atmosphere


so their workers can acclimate and grow well together.   Each worker must have a physical

evaluation every three years  mandatory or lose their jobs period.  The morale of this company

cannot change without making decisions that are based first of all on the needs of the people

who make up a great amount of the success story in this Industry.   Without the hard work of

the people working everyday because they love their jobs, there would not be an Industry.

There needs to be deployed a defense mechanism employed where there are visible signs of

security officers roaming the confounds of the inner and outer facility to make the workers fill

safer in their environment.


There should be opportunity to grow within the Industry by proving education for certain

available job opportunities right on the job.  There should be a crisis intervention counselor on

hand to help deal with the stress that comes with the job.  Every employer must have thorough

company training that is evaluated every three months for that particular job.  There must be drug

screening and criminal background checks on everyone employed.

I would provide education to every supervisor in the study of Crisis Trauma counseling so that

they can recognize stress in the people they work with and offer an ear for those who need to

talk about certain issues they’re dealing with.

I would have seminars on dealing with stress on the job and how to recognize stress in others.  I

would have a referral program to assists people with greater physiological problems to a

mental health physician free of charge.  Each worker would receive a pamphlet that deals with

how to handle a crisis and when to get help.

Psychology Theology and Spirituality

The duties and responsibilities you need as a Christian Counselor

As you delve into the holistic class of duties and responsibilities of the Christian counselor it is vitally important to understand the phenomenon which often changes within the dynamics of each case. We are counselors looking into the defragmented  pieces of  individual livelihoods to mend the sufferings of  different kinds of pain that needs to be validated and classified as normal so that the client does not see themselves as being weird or strange.

 The ability of the client to see himself or herself and what they are experiencing as a normal occurrence will determine the kind of normalcy they'll have as they try to get back to life the way it use to be.  One of the main duties as a Christian counselor is to recognize your limits and avail yourself to see Gods limitlessness in every situation that you may encounter in your client to counselor sessions.

As a Christian the scriptures admonishes us to acknowledge God in everything and he will direct our paths, Proverbs 3:6.  We must trust in the Lord with all our hearts believing he is able and wise to do what is best in the decisions and directions we make as Christian counselors and the decisions we make in our own personal lives.

Prayer should be the foundation of which we learn to build a working relationship with our clients. It's important as a Christian counselor to remain faithful to the role of your Christian principles which is your invocation and commitment to God and man.  Never compromise your Christian values, the boundaries you set for yourself in the context to your oaths of confidentiality, unbiased opinions, and your honesty to each client whether good or bad.

Jesus always acknowledged his father during his earthly ministry. Luke 5:16 say's, And he withdrew himself into the wilderness, and prayed.   And at other times we see him in seclusion to the mountains. Luke 6:12, And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Duties should never be compromised. There will be instances that our inability to solve certain issues may cause us to shirk some of the duties that are included in our professionalism. When we're at a road block and don't know if we can help someone through their dilemma it may make sense to avoid them altogether  but remember Jesus never left us.

Never deny to see a client unless you have made the necessary transitions to which you feel you are no longer capable to treat your client and believe that they may  be in better hands seeing a professional psychiatrist.   You are better off emotionally and the client is better served by persuading them to see someone more capable to render adequate care for themselves.

Always leave your personal issues at home, there's no room for them at the office.    

Responsibilities needs to be differentiated because there are other factors that we must recognize in order to be fare in our own ability to remain responsible. Notice that many of these responsibilities require both courage and self-sacrifice, love for one another being the overruling and primary example.   Loving each other requires the courage to be honest, open, vulnerable, and selfless, and these are no easy responsibilities to assume.  We will need courage.

Mat 14:27  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, take courage; it is I; be not afraid. In the Christian sense, courage is often attributed to both missionaries and martyrs, such as St. Stephen or Jesus Christ.  Martyrs overcome the fear of death for the noble purpose of staying true to their own beliefs.

Counselors and mental health professionals have championed the idea that most fears are really fears of the unknown - and, for the most part,they've been right. Responsibilities always faces challenges.  For the counselor it is extremely important for us to recognize our need for humility as we face responsibility. Humility wil give us the capacity to forgive and will allow us to identify with our clients need to forgive through their own courage and humility. 

Humility is a divine quality that is deserving of all good Christians who are following the paths towards appropriating their faith in Jesus Christ.  Some of the challenges towards humble responsibility should be:

1) Recognizing the similarities you share with your clients. Counselors who have been to therapy are familiar with taking on the client role. We need to see ourselves as better adjusted, more healthy and Spiritually sound to set the correct parameters in measuring up to our clients need for adequacy and experience.

2) Be capable to deal with passive communication and verbal anger. Some clients may show a pattern of responding to you with body language to passively communicate their frustration or anger in the session.  Good counselors draw out emotions and deal with them frequently.

3)Our interactions with our clients needs to be on a personal level in order to reflect our capacity for humility, forgiveness and setting appropriate boundaries.

 

 

Case 15: “Placing a family member in a nursing home”

Evaluation:

Robert 78 and Janet 75 have always dreamed of a home nestled in a quaint essential piece of seclusion where natures fish ponds and the soothing sounds of the wild could relax the weariest of soul. They wanted it so badly that they staked their entire savings to build it. They realized their biological clocks were ticking and with Roberts’s potential health risk, chronologically time may not be on their side.

What made Robert and Janet as compatible couples was their different internal qualities. Robert was introverted; he enjoyed the solace of personal seclusion which no doubt added to his romanticism with Janet. Janet was more extroverted. She enjoyed the social freedom of getting out and seeing people.

Although these qualities are compatible and seen as a plus in many relationships, ongoing long term sickness can play huge factors in maintaining a healthy relationship. The caregiver in the relationship could develop nurse aide burden, a condition that results from excessive burnout where the individual becomes so burden by the responsibilities that they themselves begin to breakdown, and the pattern of depression begins to creep in. The couple’s relationship may become practical and routine where each partner may find it harder to understand each other. This seems to be one indicator within a scenario of events that recoiled in the lives of Robert and Janet.

They both were active Christians in the church before Roberts progressing illness. Robert was an avid fisher which helped him deal with his sickness a lot better with a greater calm. His peace of mind set a good environment for him and Janet within their home.

In time Roberts’s condition worsened making it virtually impossible for him to even wheel himself to his most favorable place in the world, “his fishing pond”. Roberts’s dependence upon Janet grew even more demanding than ever before. The added responsibilities grew heavy on

Janet’s will creating resentment in Janet and stirred arguments over how she should spend her free time.

By spring Robert could not even cast his fishing line into the pond on his own because of the Parkinson disease. Robert and Janet found it more and more difficult to reciprocate each other’s needs in the simplest of need. Janet was slowly losing all humility.

Robert needed professional help and Janet needed rest. With Roberts increasing disability Janet slipped into nurse aide burden and Robert became more reclusive to the point of refusing to attend church with his wife, because of some legitimate general concerns.

Robert and Janet’s counseling came as unintentional and came rather intuitive with the pastor sensing Robert’s absence. It appears that Robert and Janet’s problems went on for weeks before it became a recognizable concern of their pastor.

After briefly counseling Robert the pastor saw through his need for professional attention. Robert’s doctor visits helped to boost his energy and attitude. In time he began to attend church again. It was nearly a year and he gradually lost most of his cognitive abilities while Janet suffered from inductive pains later diagnosed as a heart condition requiring the implementation of open heart surgery.

After much hesitation Janet took the advice of doctors and her pastor to accept the necessary help for herself and Robert. The Pastor set up a systematic plan that involved parishioners of the church to enlist their support in helping Janet and Robert shoulder many of the things they couldn’t do on their own.

The duration of the problem lasted only until Janet received institutionalized assistance within the range of six months when Robert became totally disabled. The majority of the problem was diverted to some degree allowing Janet the space to slowly rebound from a very noticeable depressive state.

The pastor’s visits to the nursing home were periodic and proved very instrumental in giving Robert and Janet some internal peace. However, Janet’s stress progressed with Roberts decline. Her emotions became a roller coaster ride of guilt and shame. After she admitted Robert to the

Pastoral Assessment

In the case of many aging adults the idea of getting old and losing their independence continues to grow in today’s culture as prices continue to loom from an unstable economy. Very few could afford the comfort of assisted living or home health care. Many by the time of retiring and getting old are near abject poverty, barley making ends meet.

When couples grow old together they tend to depend on each other for comfort and support. But when sickness is added to the subsequent of old age it becomes a greater possibility that even with a healthy life’s savings , it may not be sufficient to supply all the comforts of being in a specialized institution that’s adequately staffed and equipped to handle a wider range of relief and comfort than one could receive living at home.

The decision to put a loved one in a nursing home can be one of the most difficult decisions 

made by family members in their entire lives. It is almost never easy and family’s typically put it off until long past the time when placement should ideally be made. For a person with a progressive condition like Robert the best time for nursing home placement to occur is when the burden of care giving threatens the health of either the patient or the care giver.

Placement becomes necessary in order to avoid further deterioration of health. Even then the care giver is likely to feel guilty particularly if he or she has been caring for the person for a long time or if there is conflict in the relationship. The healthier the relationship though between the patient and caregiver the less likely that guilt will persist if the patient is admitted to a nursing home.

Songs In The Key of Life 31: "Turning Around for Me"

Songs In The Key of Life 31: "Turning Around for Me"   Click on link.

The Laws of leadership

In order to understand the value of  your leadership you must gain a level of effectiveness that can go either left or right in it's direction. There are no gray area's or in between. 

The higher your effectiveness to lead means the higher potential you will have as a leader.  The lower your ability  to lead means the lower effective potential you'll have to lead.

A leaders ability to lead is what determines there level of effectiveness.  There are various questions as a self analysis to discover the positive qualities and negative qualities of your leadership potential.

According to these questions they will help us make a true introspection of our talents, character - integrity to lead - people skills etc.

These questions help to rate our leadership abilities on different numerical scales.  The true success of leadership is in the leaders ability to influence others, and their desires to be trained in effective skills to help build and reflect the leader.

What is a team player? it means they doe's what there told - or they work well with others.  A good team player is not going to react out of feeling obligated, but they will react in a way that makes sense for the team. 

What is a micro manager? they control everything: what happens when you control everything, it creates a rabbit hole, and people are stuck in a rut without the possibility to progress.  
One pastor went out and spent the money getting the right to help them get to the next level. That allowed him the success that he worked so hard for.

People need to be equipped to do the right job.  Leaders need to invest in people.  You can teach a person to do anything, but you can never teach them character, because character comes from God, you either have or you don't.

The Law of process: is a day to day development that builds a character and strength that makes great leaders. There's an old adage of: champions don't become champions in the ring - they are merely recognized there.    In other words it takes consistent preparation to become better, and it takes daily routine to become great.

If you want to be a leader you can.  Everyone has the potential to become a leader, but it won't come easy or overnight.   It takes a process of learning and discipline to accomplish your goal as a leader.  And it will take even more of an effort to become a great leader.

The secret of your success will be found in your daily routine. Do something with your time.  Start a blog, read a book - listen to a tape, attend a conference, do something that will add value to yourself.

Mountains

                                   Facing your mountain

If you are faced with an insurmountable odd that possess the kind of  circumstance that is beyond the means of  any human control then you are Indeed facing your  mountain.

I have faced my greatest mountain, but like all mountains we are never alone Christ is there.

Dueteronomy 33:2 Moses said,the Lord came from Sinai, and rose up from seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran, and he came with ten thousands of saints; from his right hand went a fiery law for them.

In the Jewish targum it is said that God went to the mountain of Seir, and offered his law to the Edomites, but they refused, because they found in it "thou shalt not kill". 

He then offers it on the mount of  Paran to the "Ishmalights", but they also refused, because they found, "thou shalt not steal" written therein.

He went to the mountain of Sinai, and he offers his law to the Isrealites, and they said "all that the Lord shall say, we will do.

 And to this day Gods proclamation to Isreal is, those who bless Isreal shall be blessed, and those who curse Isreal shall be cursed.

This same proclamation is for the child of God who has been borned again.  The Hallmark to all victory are found in the expressive tone of, "what ever the Lord has said, I will do.

Changing times

This is a very critical time in the history of our Nation, our Government and within human society.  We have seen a conflict of values, a conflict of visions and a conflict of philosophies.  There has been a shift in the social and economical status in our society where the middle class is the new poor and the poor is enduring abstract poverty.  Poverty so low that it is causing sickness deep depression and even death. The climate of this recession has created two classes of people the haves and the have not.  Jesus said that the poor would be with us always. I often wondered why since we are the riches nation in the entire universe. In Jesus day there were only two classes of people, the rich and the poor but Jesus would often bring universality out of diversity through his suffering. The scripture says that he was a man of suffering.  Passion from the Latin verb means to suffer. In the Greek passion means to "put up with" "endure one another" "to suffer with".  I believe if the oligards and the plutocrats in congress had passion we could annihilate poverty forever. But they continue to see poverty as a reason to blame those who endures it as if some how they caused it or even deserve to be poor, as if it's in their control.