Remember Sandra and her struggles at work before completing our Return to Work (RTW) program? Her journey through therapy continued and she managed a successful return to work by overcoming her RTW barriers. Here’s part 2 of Sandra’s incredible journey:
Through Sandra’s treatment journey, and the progress she made through the assigned treatment interventions, she began planning her return to work. Sandra requested a meeting with her boss and HR prior to her first day back at the bank. This meeting helped her negotiate what her return would look like. It also allowed her to be exposed to the workplace to help reduce her anxiety around going back to the environment that initially caused her a lot of fear. Stepping back into the bank allowed her to see for herself that there was nothing to fear and that she could do it.
Sandra also learned that she could speak up and receive support and some accommodations as she returned to work. She requested a slower ramp-up time to hit her higher targets as well as some education around time management and goal setting so that she could be successful as she returned. These were areas she was feeling ill-equipped in. Through problem-solving, she realized she could learn these skills to help set her up for success by requesting help from her workplace.
Through her gradual return to work, she slowly exposed herself to the work and while her feelings of fear decreased, she built up the stamina to manage full days at work. Her MindBeacon treatment continued to help support her transition back into the workplace, while she and her therapist developed a relapse prevention plan. At the end of treatment, she had successfully returned and stayed at work. Her symptoms of depression had gone from severe to moderate, symptoms of anxiety were now mild and her mental health concerns were no longer interfering with her daily functioning.
If you're interested in learning more about our Return to Work program, contact us here.