We spend alot of time in this blog extolling the virtues of having a quality Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or Sudent Assistance Program (SAP). What happened yesterday is yet another reason for having one available. The horrible shooting that occurred yesterday on the Virginia Tech campus should cause us all to pause and think about what we should and can to prevent this kind of thing from happening. But as we see by the fact that this is the second time that this has occurred at that college, no matter what we do, it can happen again. In fact, the university is getting kudos for the communications system that they implemented in order to warn students and keep them updated as to the status of the incident. So the additional steps necessary must include remediation and support efforts should one of these incidents occur.
This is where the EAP comes in very handy. Quality EAPs and SAPs should be available to provide:
- on-site Critical Incident Stress Debriefings (CISDs)
- consultation to assist the HR and emergency responders
- counseling services for faculty, staff, students and anyone else who may have been impacted
- dissemination of pertinent information so that people have tools for coping with any residual reactions
Often organizations and institutions are afraid that talking about these kinds of traumas will cause more problems so they choose to minimize them. Believe me, there is nothing further from the truth. In fact, having open discussions or at least advocating these creates a sense of safety amongst students and staff that tends to speed up the recovery process.
So, if you really do want your folks to feel safe and have better coping skills, get on the phone and CALL YOUR EAP!
Tags: CISD, counseling, Employee Assistance Program, SAP, shootings, workplace shootings, workplace violence
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