Therapy for Workplace & Corporate Trauma
Trauma can happen anywhere. All too often, it happens in the workplace.
Trauma isn’t only a problem for war correspondents and first responders. Workplace trauma is an all-too-common problem for professionals in schools, hospitals, and offices as well.
Maybe you’re stuck in a toxic workplace where abuse, bullying, and harassment go unpunished. Or maybe the very nature of your job can expose you to trauma. And of course, traumatic accidents and unexpected events can happen to us all, no matter where we work.
Workplace trauma can impact our whole lives.
Our professional lives become miserable and overwhelming. And we take that trauma home with us at the end of the day too. It can steal our peace, impact our relationships, and make it hard for us to focus on the things we care about. Sometimes, it feels impossible to just get through the day.
If you’ve experienced trauma at work, you deserve support to heal.
Common Workplace & Corporate Trauma Experiences
Many clients come to therapy unsure whether what they’ve experienced is a trauma or not. Which is an ok place to start!
A trauma is a deeply disturbing, distressing event that we experience as a threat to our basic safety and survival. But our lives don’t actually need to be in danger for us to experience this threat.
Examples of trauma in the workplace include:
- Bullying or emotional abuse, especially by someone in a position of power
- Sexual harassment or assault
- Workplace violence by coworkers, patients, clients, or members of the public
- Repeated microaggressions and incidents of bias
- Vicarious trauma, such as witnessing violence, serious illness, or death
- Being forced to act outside of one’s sense of morals or values, also known as moral injury
Connect With A Therapist Offering Therapy For Workplace Trauma
Our team has current openings and is ready to meet with you!
What are symptoms of workplace trauma?
People who have experienced workplace trauma often show signs of traumatic stress. And sometimes they meet criteria for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In practice, this might look like:
- Hypersensitivity to signs of potential danger. Being overly focused on how you’re being judged and perceived, paying excessive attention to other people’s signals, or being always on guard for the next bad thing to happen.
- Avoiding triggers or reminders of a trauma. Feeling withdrawn and checked out, avoiding particular assignments, procrastination, or needing frequent sick days to get time away from the office.
- Finding a traumatic past experience showing up in unwanted ways in the present. Freezing in situations that remind you of the trauma, rumination about what happened, or the situation showing up in your dreams.
- Experiencing changes in your mood, worldview, and relationships. Irritability, depression, and anxiety are common after a trauma. Others find their relationships are struggling, or notice that they’ve become more cynical and pessimistic about the future. This can show up as a loss of purpose or professional drive, even for people who once found great satisfaction in their work.
Get Started Today!
Set Up A Free 20-Minute Phone Consultation to Connect with a Stella Nova Trauma Therapist
How Can Therapy Help After A Workplace Trauma?
Trauma is painful and disruptive, but it’s also highly treatable. Your therapist can help you:
✔ Eliminate intrusive memories, rumination, or flashbacks
✔ Regulate your emotional response to triggers when they come up
✔ Stop avoiding people, places, or situations
✔ Improve relationships in your personal and professional life
✔ Feel more calm and grounded in your body
✔ Regain trust in your own perceptions, feelings, and instincts
✔ Make sense of a traumatic experience so that you can move forward
What To Expect from Trauma Therapy at Stella Nova
At Stella Nova, we offer online therapy for workplace and corporate trauma for clients throughout California.
All of our therapists are trained to approach therapy from a trauma-informed perspective. And some have additional, specialized training in using approaches such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Somatic Therapy to address trauma symptoms.
We’ll take time getting to know you, and work collaboratively to develop a treatment plan that meets your needs.
Interested in learning more? Schedule a free, 20-minute consultation to get matched with a great-fit therapist on our team.
