Counselling Services for Workplace Dysfunction

Workplace dysfunction refers to a variety of employment-induced issues, such as over- and under-commitment, burnout, fear of success/failure, work-related depression and anxiety, and others.

Workplace dysfunction is all too common. Part of this is due to the fact that in our society for people to spend more time in their workplace with their coworkers than they do anywhere and with anyone else.

Unfortunately – but unsurprisingly – not everyone works well together. When your work creates a high-stress environment, this can make life very difficult.

So when workplace issues arise, it’s no big surprise that they can have a negative effect across all areas of our lives.

I work with clients across all sectors and industry to help them work through their workplace issues in a healthy, productive manner.

Examples of workplace dysfunction include:

• Conflict – Issues with your coworkers, supervisors, clients, or customers. Caused by personality differences, expectations, etc.
• Bullying/Lateral Violence – Controlling and demeaning behaviours between coworkers, from management, etc.
• Harassment – Including sexual harassment, intimidation, humiliating, belittling, and other forms.
• Breakdowns – Anger issues or emotional breakdowns caused by no longer being able to regulate your emotions under stress.
• Overwork – Working longer or harder than can be realistically maintained in a healthy manner over time.
• Danger – Unsafe or unhealthy workplace practices or culture that create dangerous physical and/or emotional situations.
• Frustration/Burnout – You’re feeling frustrated and burnt out, often due to poor leadership and unrealistic demands.
• Compassion Fatigue – You’re emotionally and physically exhausted, often because of lack of clarity on expectations and responsibilities, disillusionment about the work.

If any of these situations sound familiar at your workplace, working with a clinical counsellor is a safe and effective way to discuss these issues in a safe and supportive environment.

Workplace dysfunction typically manifests in an unhealthy increase in stress levels, leading to cognitive, emotional, physical, and behavioural symptoms.

Cognitive symptoms

• Uncertainty
• Confusion
• Nightmares
• Poor attention
• Indecisiveness
• Poor concentration and memory
• Poor problem-solving ability
  
• Intrusive thoughts
• Disillusionment

Emotional symptoms

• Grief
• Fear
• Guilt
• Intense anger
• Apprehension
• Depression
• Irritability
• Chronic anxiety
• Emotional exhaustion
• Low self-esteem

Physical symptoms

• Fatigue
• Chills
• Unusual thirst
• Chest pain
• Headaches
• Dizziness
  
• General aches and pains

Behavioural symptoms

• Sleeplessness
• Withdrawal
• Antisocial behavior
• Increased alcohol/drug consumption
• Change in communications
• Change in appetite
• Addictive behaviours

If you are experiencing any of these issues due to your employment, it’s critical to find a way to help relieve the stress in a healthy manner to prevent the cycle from spiraling.

Discussing your feelings with a counsellor will provide you with a safe environment to work through and understand your problems at work in an objective and judgement-free manner.

By gaining insight into why you are experiencing these feelings, together we can develop a recovery plan to help you relieve the stress caused by workplace dysfunction.

If you’re feeling cynical, unmotivated, irritable, fatigued, anxious, or detached at work, counselling can help you to understand and work through these negative emotions.

Through our 1-on-1 sessions I will work closely with you to create a customized care plan. Our goal is to get you back on track, and feeling happy, healthy, and productive in the workplace.

Your custom workplace care plan may include:

• Psychoeducation to better understand specifically what is causing the symptoms you’re experiencing due to work
• Decreasing unhealthy thinking while increasing positive outlooks
• Improving your coping skills, emotion regulation skills, and distress tolerance
• Working on setting boundaries and realistic expectations
• Exploring your inner resources and the support networks that you have available
• Setting goals to address worries, fears, and avoidance

When you’re ready to work on your workplace-related issues, please reach out for help. Get started with free, no-obligation, phone consultation.

CISD: Crisis intervention in the workplace

As well as private 1-on-1 counselling, I also offer Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD). CISD is a facilitator-led service that takes place within 3 days of a traumatic workplace event. I work with individuals who have been exposed to trauma at work, and are experiencing elevated levels of stress.

This is a one-time crisis intervention, often done in workplace, shortly after a traumatic incident takes place. This method is used to process the event to allow those involved to voice their distress, discuss the emotional and physiological responses, and hopefully let it go. Please contact me for details.