Summary

  This chapter described a range of tertiary level interventions for individuals who are suffering from clinical levels of distress associated with stress syndromes. Specifically, a number of cognitive and behavioural interventions aimed at managing the anxiety, depression and hostility syndromes were described. The aim of this chapter has been to encourage the individual to develop their own self-help programme before resorting to seeking more specialist help. The range of self-help resources and references listed in the Appendix can also be utilized to assist the individual with this process. However, if the self-help approach proves to be ineffective, the option of seeking specialist help through one’s doctor or occupational health service still remains. It is emphasized that if as a result of the severity of their symptoms the individual feels that they may be at risk of harming themselves or others, they should seek expert professional help immediately and not attempt to try to deal with this on their own.

Part III

Pulling it all together

Chapter 11

Developing a self-help plan

  Introduction

  Simply reading about stress does not necessarily equip you with the skills required to put what you have learned into practice. Many people report feeling stuck when it comes to applying what they have read about in the literature to their own real life problems. The aim of this chapter is to bridge that gap between theory and practice by taking you step by step through a structured self-help plan to overcome your occupational stress.

The eight stages of a self-help plan

  The eight stages of the self-help plan, which are described below, are as follows:

1  Make a problem list.

2  Prioritize your problems.

3  Set your goals.

4  Establish the criteria of success.

5  Plan your interventions.

6  Develop a self-help treatment plan.

7  Monitor and review your progress.

8  Prevent relapse.

Make a problem list

  Perhaps you have been identifying and making a note of the problem areas that apply to you as you have been progressing through each chapter. If this is the case, get a sheet of paper and make a list of all the problem areas you have identified. If you have not been making notes as you have been going along, you will need to review each chapter and highlight the problem areas that you think need to be addressed. Once you have done this, make a list of them. For example, you might identify that you are not living a healthy lifestyle, or lack certain time management, assertiveness, or social skills. Alternatively, you might identify that you have difficulty relaxing, or a tendency to think negatively. Whatever the problem is, put it on the list.

Prioritize your problems

  Where more than one problem area has been identified, they need to be prioritized. The ones that you consider to be the most important and urgent ones to address should be placed at the top of the list and the less important ones lower down the list. This creates a hierarchy of problems: those placed at the top of the hierarchy should be tackled first.