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21st July 2005, Page 34
21st July 2005
Page 34
Page 34, 21st July 2005 — TRAUMA COUNSELLING
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

In the road transport industry the Centre for Crisis Psychology will typically help in the aftermath of a road traffic accident, offering counselling to the driver and any other affected staff,

The terrible events that unfolded in London two weeks ago involved the Centre in counselling employees of several London clients including the Co-op Bank, Thomas Cook Retail Group, Tooshop, Topman, Wallis and Exel Logistics.

"We have had clinical intervention meetings with staff who are bereaved or were witnesses to the bombings, including one who saw the bus explosion," says Anna Stewart. "We emphasise getting back to normal and back to work with colleagues who can share the experience and a manager who will support tem."

With an event like this a common distress signal is hypervigiianceexaggerated fear of another attack. "An earthquake victim may still feel the earth moving," she reports. Even those who did not witness the event may be disturbed. Someone who might normally have got that bus could keep wondering, "What if I had not been off that day?"

The Centre also provided support to the Tsunami survivors, meeting them at UK airports and providing telephone support for months afterwards.

A serious traffic accident can provoke symptoms of sleeplessness, anger and intrusive imagery where the driver can't get the image of the man lying in the road out of his mind. "We have to tell them that is normal because often they think they are going mad if they don't understand their reactions," says Stewart.

Support from the employer isvital, she adds. "If the employee does not get this, they will be angry and take unnecessary time off work. The training we provide to the company is about defusing the situation and it ticks the duty-of-care box."

The Centre's experience is a roll call of the worst UK disasters of the past 20 years including the Bradford fire (1985); the Herald of Free Enterprise sinking (1987); the Lockerbie plane bombing (1988); The Dunblane shootings (1996); the Omagh bombing (1998) and now the London bombings.

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Locations: London, Bradford

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