Defusing for Cumulative Stress
On many occasions the question has been asked... What can we do to debrief in jobs where the stress is cumulative, rather than due to any specific critical incident?
The impact of cumulative stress is noticable in a range of occupational areas, including ICU in hospitals, mental health services, aged care, security, corrections and welfare services, to name just a few. Some agencies have reported using a simple, but useful defusing technique every one, two or three weeks, depending on need. All members of that work group are invited, however, participation is voluntary. The group focus is on personal well-being, not contentious work place issues.
The steps generally followed are:
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The group meets at an agreed time for coffee and cake.
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In turn, each member of the group relates something which they saw as a personal success or achievement at work since the last meeting.
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Each member of the group then shares a "learning experience" they had since the last meeting. (NB. There are no mistakes or failures, only "learning experiences".)
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Each member of the group shares a positive "self-care" objective for the coming week.
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The next meeting date and time is agreed on.