Download Advocacy in Difficult Situations AFSCME Local 88

Advocacy in Difficult
Situations
AFSCME Local 88 Steward Training
October 19, 2011
Types of Challenges
• Dealing with victims of sexual
harassment or bullying
• Dealing with ineffective or
arrogant people
• Dealing with angry people
Dealing with victims of sexual
harassment or bullying
Look for Signs of
Possible Health Issues
Depression
Anxiety
Post-Traumatic Stress
Depression
Sexual harassment victims often
show symptoms of depression.
As a steward, you can tactfully
inquire or notice them.
Warning Signs of Depression
• Sadness/emptiness
• Crying or tearfulness
• Loss of interest and
pleasure in life activities
• Inability to think clearly
• Inappropriate guilt
• Suicidal thoughts
• Insomnia or hypersomnia
• Fatigue or low energy
• Feelings of
worthlessness
• Suicidal thoughts
• Weight gain or loss
Advocating for Depressed People
• Sexual harassment victims may be eligible for
workers’ compensation benefits including
counseling, time off, or medical care.
• Connect the victim to a qualified therapist if
the person is not in treatment.
• Recognize that self-blame, guilt, shame,
nightmares, etc. can be part of a treatable
medical condition.
Advocacy Tips
Recognize that depression may cause
victims to be unable to take action
without help.
Help the victim to make a plan.
Taking action helps the victim
recover.
Point out that the person’s mental
injuries deserve attention.
Workplace Advocacy for Sexual
Harassment Victims
Depression may be a
qualifying disability under the
ADA.
Work functions may be
affected.
Consider asking for
accommodations.
Anxiety Disorders
Panic attacks
Post-traumatic
stress
Excessive Worry
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
• Harassment victims often have some PTSD
from traumatic events.
• They may relive the harassment.
• They may become avoidant.
• Typically they have problems sleeping,
difficulty concentrating, irritability, or angry
outbursts.
Stress Disorders/Anxiety
• Marked anxiety
• Subjective feelings of numbing, detachment,
disassociation, de-realization.
• Hypervigilence
• Inability to function.
What can you do?
Recognize the signs and symptoms.
Recognize potential WC claim.
If symptoms are acute, member may need
to access various forms of leave.
PTSD and anxiety disorders are treatable.
Recognize that until the medical issues
are resolved, the member cannot make
important decisions.
Advocacy Tips
Understand that victims deserve
reassurance, treatment and
understanding.
Do not take anger or lack of
cooperation personally.
Understand that mood disorders are
not permanent.
Understand the right to reasonable
accommodation for people with
anxiety, depression, or PTSD
Dealing with ineffective people
Personality Disorders
• “A personality disorder is an enduring pattern
of inner experience and behavior that deviates
markedless from the expectations of the
individual’s culture, is pervasive and inflexible,
has an onset in adolescence, and leads to
distress and impairment.”
DSM-IV at 629.
Avoidant Personality Disorder
Needs constant advice and
reassurance to make any decision
Needs others to take responsibility
Will volunteer to do unpleasant tasks
to get nurturance
Lacks confidence to take care of self
More on Avoidant Folks
Needs constant close
relationships for support
Afraid of being alone
Can’t express disagreement
with others for fear of loss of
support
Dependent Personality
Needs excessive support and advice
Can’t express disagreement for fear
of loss of support
Can’t initiate
Needs constant relationships for care
and support.
Unrealistically afraid of being alone.
Narcissistic Personality
•
•
•
•
•
•
Grandiose sense of self-importance
Believes he or she is special and entitled
Seeks excessive admiration
Is interpersonally exploitative
Lacks empathy for others
May be arrogant and “above others”
Examples of PDs at Work
• Stewards who won’t file a grievance for fear
that the boss will get upset (avoidant)
• Grievants who call you day and night and can’t
do anything, even when you’ve met and
agreed upon a plan. (dependent.)
• Supervisors or managers who treat employees
like pions except the chosen few (narcissitic)
Advocacy Tips for Dealing with
Dependant and Avoidant People
Depersonalize conflict.
Listen and show
understanding.
Give people tasks that suit
their personality.
Be realistic and get support.
Advocacy For Narcissists
Breathe deeply.
Depersonalize.
Work in a team with someone
the narcissist respects
Do not expect gratitude or
agreement.
Dealing with Anger
Check for Mood Disorders
• Anger can be a sign of
depression, especially in men.
• Anger can be a sign of an
anxiety disorder such as PTSD.
Rageaholics
• A rageaholic or "anger addict" is a person who
gets excited by expressing rage, or a person
prone to extreme anger with little or no
provocation. While "rageaholic" is not a
formal medical diagnosis, it has been
developed as a lay psychology term by
counselors and anger-management groups
seeking to help people who are chronically
angry and who compulsively express fits of
rage. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rageaholic
Anger
Rage
• Can be healthy.
• Venting can
create intimacy.
• Has a cause.
• Is temporary and
normal.
• Is generally not
healthy.
• Rage is always
destructive.
• Has an excuse.
• Is chronic and
abnormal.
Signs of Rageaholism
Interrupting, Yelling, Staring to Cause
Fear, Angry Driving, Eye Rolling,
Demeaning others, Cursing, Namecalling, Threatening, Pointing, Sarcasm,
Throwing Things.
Constantly Criticizing Others
What to do?
• Don’t be “co-dependent”
• Tell the person when he or she is raising her
voice.
• Tell the person when he or she is interrupting
you.
• Make a plan on how to respond if you feel
demeaned or manipulated.
• Recognize the problem and strategize.
Conclusion
• Understanding psychological disorders can
help us advocate for victims.
• Understanding personality disorders can help
us maintain our own peace of mind.
• Recognizing the difference between anger and
rage will help us deal with bullies in the
workplace.
Knowledge is Power