In critical incident response, consultants are usually silent partners. We may represent EAPs. We make a big difference, but without fanfare. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. It’s about the employees, and the organizational cultures we serve. We are doing a good job when we leave a “small carbon footprint” at the worksite.
How does one leave a small carbon footprint?
Leaving a small carbon footprint is similar to being a good house guest. You are easy to have around, and your host isn’t whispering about you with their spouse upstairs about how you left wet towels on the floor again. Here are some good reminders:
Over-reaching: Sometimes we want to help so badly or feel like we need to prove ourselves to members of an organization. If we over-reach, however, it can be received as abrasiveness, pushiness, or hubris. It isn’t necessary to have to prove yourself beyond being authentic and present.
It’s also important to remember the role of a consultant. We are guests, and not there for self-promotion or to do anything other than a discrete, high-quality critical incident response. It is actually quite liberating to be able to focus on this one thing. It isn’t our province to advise employers about how they run their businesses or interfere outside of our limited scope.
Haste: Sometimes we feel harried by demands on our time before or during a critical incident response. If we’re not prepared, we can sound impatient or even appear disorganized when we’re talking to a work site representative on the phone or upon arrival.
Remember that perception is reality (even though it’s not). If you appear disorganized or frayed, this first impression may color all that you do afterwards. It has a tendency to shake an employer’s confidence in you. Conversely, it does wonders to come across as measured, calculated, and poised. Better to take some time, slow down, and breathe. Get there early, and gather yourself.
Discretion: Sometimes we are asked to explain who we are and what are purpose is at a work site. Remember less is more. It is important to be polite, but don’t be pressured into divulging sensitive information to whomever approaches you. Privacy is a big issue. Sometimes we can be worn down by curious employees, and, in an effort to be helpful and accommodating, disclose things that employers wouldn’t want us to. Sometimes consultants have made what they thought were benign disclosures to employees that ended up becoming major headaches for all involved. Be nice, but be vague, or actually opaque. If it’s any of their concern, all will be known in good time.
Low maintenance: Employers appreciate things (and people) that are easy. Don’t hesitate to ask questions if you don’t know how the employer might want something done, but the fewer requests, questions, and demands on their attention and time the better. Know where the bathroom is, and what their instructions are for movement and format of intervention. Roaming the work site and getting in the way of work is typically a problem for employers.
Approachability: It is important we appear approachable. There may be reticence to take advantage of your services to begin with. Smile, practice open body language, and sit in the space provided in a way that appears inviting and offers them a degree of comfort, privacy, and space. Pay attention to seating arrangements and what will maximize comfort for employees.
If you are in a room waiting, avoid using a laptop, reading a book, or studying papers, since that may give the impression to an employee that you are otherwise occupied. If you are in the unenviable situation of having to await employee participants for individual sessions over the course of multiple hours, it is best if you meditate or practice the sublime art of waiting and reflecting. If you look like you are merely biding your time or already engaged, employees are less likely to approach you.
These are just a few of the ways we can do simple, authentic critical incident response and still leave a small carbon footprint.
About the Author: Gordon Greer has been a respected mental health clinician in the Greater Grand Rapids, Michigan area for over fifteen years. He earned his degree in English secondary education from Indiana University (IUPUI), and his master’s degree in clinical social work from Western Michigan University. Before joining R3 in 2015, Gordon worked at Forest View Hospital for more than a decade, with a specialization in psychiatric case management, adolescent/adult behavioral health, family therapy, group therapy, and the field of traumatic stress. He also coordinated Forest View’s regionally and nationally regarded Psychological Trauma Program, with a specialization in dissociative disorders and conditions related to traumatic stress. Gordon is a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CAADC), and has been trained in Critical Incident Response (CIR). Before completing his post-graduate work, he worked for The Salvation Army with individuals and families in crisis situations of homelessness. Gordon is the director of R3’s Productivity Assurance Call Center, which delivers dynamic telephonic solutions for organizations that encounter disruptive events in the workplace.
