Focused consultation
A structured conversation with a manager, clinical lead or people professional to understand a concern, consider what may be contributing to it and identify proportionate next steps.
For organisations
Helping organisations respond to the impact of emotionally demanding work
Selected support for managers, leaders and services whose staff work with trauma, distress and high levels of responsibility.
When the impact of the work is becoming visible
Some roles require people to listen to traumatic experiences, manage risk, make difficult decisions or remain calm while other people are distressed. This work can be meaningful and highly skilled. It can also have a cumulative psychological cost.
You may be noticing emotional exhaustion, difficulty switching off, experienced staff carrying too much, managers feeling unsure how to respond, or supervision being crowded out by urgent operational demands.
Who this work is for
This work may be relevant to service managers, clinical leads, HR or people professionals and senior leaders responsible for staff working with trauma, safeguarding, rehabilitation, complaints, risk or people in crisis.
- Domestic-abuse and sexual-violence services
- Healthcare, mental-health and safeguarding services
- Case-management and rehabilitation teams
- Legal and complaints teams regularly exposed to distressing material
- Charities and public services supporting people through trauma or crisis
Ways I may be able to help
Reflective practice
Facilitated sessions helping staff think about demanding work, its impact and their professional responses. This is not group therapy and does not require disclosure of personal histories.
Workshops and team sessions
Tailored sessions helping staff and managers understand the effects of repeated exposure to trauma and distress, recognise difficulties earlier and make better use of boundaries, supervision and support.
Research informing this work
My doctoral research examined vicarious trauma, burnout and secondary traumatic stress among staff working in UK domestic-abuse services during the COVID-19 pandemic. In straightforward terms, it explored what can happen when people are repeatedly exposed to other people’s trauma while working under sustained pressure.
It reinforced the importance of manageable demands, clear boundaries, useful supervision, supportive colleagues and managers, and a workplace culture in which the impact of the work can be acknowledged.
My role is not to provide a simple message that individuals need to become more resilient. It is to help the organisation think more clearly about the demands, protections and working practices around its people.
What useful support may make possible
- Clearer conversations about the emotional impact of the work
- Earlier recognition when staff or teams are struggling
- More useful reflective practice and supervision
- Clearer boundaries between managerial support and therapy
- Better-informed decisions about workload, training and additional support
Begin with a scoped conversation
Email a brief outline of the organisation, what has prompted the enquiry, who is affected and what you would like to be different. If the enquiry appears relevant to my practice, we can arrange a free initial telephone conversation of up to 15 minutes.
I undertake selected organisational work within my competence. Any proposed work is agreed in writing, including its purpose, audience, format, responsibilities, confidentiality, practical arrangements and fee.
Discuss an organisational need