EMDR Group - Urban Health Group Inc

EMDR Group Therapy for Healthcare Workers in California

Is it burnout or vicarious trauma?

Emergency room personnel treat patients with extreme trauma (severe injuries, road accidents, assaults, rape, abuse, and gunshots) on a repeated, even daily, basis (Dominguez-Gomez & Rutledge, 2009; Morrison & Joy, 2016). Clinician burnout in healthcare is a growing concern, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic stretches on. Burnout is the prolonged physical and psychological exhaustion of a person’s work. Vicarious trauma is the experience of trauma symptoms that can result from being repeatedly exposed to other people’s trauma and their stories of traumatic events. Vicarious trauma is cumulative, building up over time.

Signs And Symptoms Of Vicarious Trauma

Invasive thoughts of client’s situation/distress
Frustration/fear/anxiety/irritability
Disturbed sleep/nightmares/racing thoughts
Problems managing personal boundaries
Taking on too great a sense of responsibility or feeling you need to overstep the boundaries of your role
Difficulty leaving work at the end of the day/noticing you can never leave on time
Loss of connection with self and others/loss of a sense of own identity
Increased time alone/a sense of needing to withdraw from others
Increased need to control events/outcomes/others
Loss of pleasure in daily activities

Signs And Symptoms Of Burnout

Physical and emotional stress
Low job satisfaction
Feeling frustrated by or judgmental of clients
Feeling under pressure, powerless and overwhelmed
Not taking breaks, eating on the run
Unable to properly refuel and regenerate
Frequent sick days or “mental health days”
Irritability and anger

Facts:

During epidemics, 1 in 6 healthcare works will develop significant stress symptoms.

Source: Carmassi, C., Foghi, C., Dell'Oste, V., Cordone, A., Bertelloni, C. A., Bui, E., & Dell'Osso, L. (2020). PTSD symptoms in healthcare workers facing the three coronavirus outbreaks: What can we expect after the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychiatry Research, 292, 113312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2020.113312

Burnout symptoms can lead to Secondary Traumatic stress. Requires treatment, and not just self-care activities.

Galek, K., Flannelly, K.J., Greene, P.B. et al. Burnout, Secondary Traumatic Stress, and Social Support. Pastoral Psychol 60, 633–649 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-011-0346-7

Even before the pandemic, 16% of emergency physicians self-reported symptoms of PTSD.

Source: DeLucia, J. A., Bitter, C., Fitzgerald, J., Greenberg, M., Dalwari, P., & Buchanan, P. (2019). Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Emergency Physicians in the United States. The western journal of emergency medicine.

EMDR Integrative Group Therapy for Ongoing Traumatic Stress Benefits

A culturally humble approach to addressing traumatic events
Reduces stigma associated with mental; health services; decreases symptoms, no adverse effect post-treatment or worsening symptoms
Suitable for large scale, post-traumatic situations & chaotic conditions or small groups
Minimally intrusive; memories are reprocessed visually through art and not vocalized with group
Cost-effective

Who is a Good Fit for the EMDR Group?

Healthcare professionals in hospitals have been impacted by working with COVID-19 patients or healthcare workers experiencing symptoms.

EMDR Integrative Group Topics

Challenges of patient care experience
Challenges of the work environment
Personal challenges outside of work
Integrating Self-Care

Dates:

March 25 & 26th, 2023 9:00A-12:00P (VIRTUAL)
June 24 & 25th, 2023 9:00A-12:00P (VIRTUAL)
September 23 & 24th, 2023 9:00A-12:00P (VIRTUAL)

Cost: $600

Space is limited and your session is confirmed once paid is made.Refund available within 30 days of booking, but not within 15 days of session start dates.

How to Schedule:

Email Elisa@urbanhealthgroupinc.org to schedule Group EMDR with dates of choice. Intake paperwork and a video link to join the session will be sent to you

Frequently Asked Questions

01. Do I need to be a California Resident?

No, but you must be in the State of California on those session dates. Yes, even if you are visiting for the weekend.

02. Do I need need to be present on both days?

It is highly recommended that you make the space to attend both of those days. This group has been reformatted from four weekly sessions to better suit health workers' schedules.

03. I’m scared will it be really intense?

You may get activated and we provide grounding techniques in each session. EMDR therapy has been used for a long time and there have not been any reports of any dangerous side effects.

04. That seems like such a long time.

This format is a great alternative for people who have time constraints. The three-hour session is equivalent to three weeks. Some find they like longer sessions to work through things without having to wait a week for the next session.