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Dealing with Trauma and Tragedy
What You Can Do for Others
As we face
a tragedy like September 11 and its
anniversary, we often feel a natural inclination to help
friends and loved ones cope with the difficult time. But we
may not always know the best way to help. Friends may simply
need to talk or they may need someone to help them take care
of everyday tasks for a few days. The following ideas may
provide some guidance for reaching out to loved ones during
a traumatic time. Remember to take care
of yourself first. Only then can you effectively help
others.
Listening
- Listen carefully.
- Acknowledge feelings as normal.
- Be sensitive to individual circumstances and different points of view.
- Don't respond with "you're lucky it wasn't worse." Instead, say that you are sorry such an event has occurred and you want to understand and help.
- Don't take emotional responses like anger personally.
- Respect an individual's need for privacy. If someone doesn't want to talk about the incident or their feelings, don't insist.
Reaching out at Work (as suggest by Working Solutions)
- Organize support groups at work to help one another.
- Offer a "listening ear" to someone who hasn't asked for help but may need it.
- Give encouragement, support and understanding with on-the-job issues.
- Identify resources for additional help (Employee
Assistance Program, mental
health benefits, human resources department).
Helping Family and Friends
- Offer help with everyday tasks like cleaning, cooking or caring for the family.
- Respect their need for privacy and time alone.
- Suggest available help (community resources, church groups, etc.).
- Keep communication open — be available and accessible.
Remember that Working Solutions has a virtual library full
of information on these and other topics...go
to their site, and "Read Articles" for the topics that best suit your situation. Call them anytime at
800-358-8515 to talk with someone.
Working Solutions
is available to you through the Union-led Benefits Trust.
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