Struggling with Mental Health After a Work Injury
Are you experiencing emotional, mental, or psychological issues because of an injury that occurred at work? You are not alone.
Struggling with mental health after a work injury can be just as challenging as dealing with physical complications. Depression, for example, can follow a workplace injury, particularly if a worker is off work for an extended period of time. Someone who is used to working every day and no longer has a routine and has lost their main occupation will naturally miss the social interactions with co-workers. They often feel isolated and lonely during their recovery. The financial stress alone can be exceedingly difficult, taking a toll on their social and/or family life. This is particularly difficult for someone who was the sole provider for a family.
Additionally, they may feel they are alone and without support. They may not be able to do everything for themselves and now must rely on other people to help with housework and/or personal care, and they worry that others see them as a burden. And as isolation increases, feelings of anxiety, low confidence and depression can make these struggles associated with an injury event even more complex.
Managing the Issue
Here at Northwest Return to Work our rehabilitation providers know that an injured worker’s mental health is just as important as their physical health. Often a depressed injured worker can take longer to recover, and the longer they are off work, the more their anxieties increase. Which is why we provide a holistic approach to our rehabilitation, focusing not only on our client’s physical injuries, but their overall health and well-being. Workplace injuries can vary from minor to near death often requiring multiple medical and rehabilitation services. Just as injuries are different, so too are the requirements of workplace rehabilitation and the process of returning to work safely.
What is Workplace Rehabilitation?
Workplace rehabilitation is the process of assisting someone to return to work after sustaining an injury. Part of the rehabilitation process may involve developing a program that allows them to return to duties that are suitable during the recovery period or return to their role over time. This may include gradually returning to them to their pre-injury role, or in some cases training to gain new skills or assistance. The type of program needed will depend on the type of injury and the worker’s job goal.
Psychological injuries need the same level of assessment, treatment, and fast re-engagement back into the workplace. This can be hard, when someone feels work has contributed towards their injury, or an employer is unfamiliar supporting their psychological needs.
Our rehabilitation psychologists use their research and unique training to help individuals who may be struggling in their daily lives due to physical disabilities, psychological trauma, brain injury or chronic illnesses.
The goal of rehabilitation psychology is to help individuals with disabilities and chronic health conditions improve the quality of their lives. Rehabilitation psychologists are concerned with all the factors in people’s lives that contribute to their wellness and recovery, from the support they receive from family and friends to the relationships they have with their team of treatment providers.
Programs Available
At Northwest Return to Work we have many options for injured workers to get the help they need to get back to work, and back to their lives. If you have experienced an injury and are struggling with issues beyond physical limitations, we can help.
Cognitive Assessment, measuring brain health with an online, easy to use, evidence-based assessment tool is a great place to start. Cognitive health affects almost every part of your life. If you don’t feel the same after an injury, it could be because conditions that have traditionally been seen as purely physical, such as pain, have cognitive effects.
Our Cognitive Assessment is scientifically validated, easy to use, and completely online! The assessment gives you a report of your cognitive health in minutes. It’s not a test—it is a quick check-up on how you’re doing today, like a blood pressure cuff for your brain. Try it Today! Cognitive assesment Demo
Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) provides expert mental health support to anyone with an existing work injury claim. After an injury, it’s normal for someone to struggle with parts of life that once felt manageable. Even if someone has received physical therapy, occupational therapy, or even surgery, there may still be difficulties in everyday life. Nobody should have to recover alone.
Northwest Return to Work offers a short-term, mental health support to anyone with an open work injury claim. Behavioral Health Intervention (BHI) gives people a safe place to address the ways they have been impacted by their injury. Learn more.
Neuropsychological Evaluations provide a comprehensive evaluation of cognitive ability by a licensed neuropsychologist, taking an in-depth look at cognitive and behavioral changes because of an injury or illness.
Administered by a licensed neuropsychologist, these evaluations provide a comprehensive report for providers and clients that can assist in diagnosis, recommend treatment, or provide a baseline for future evaluations.
Josh Cobbley, OT
CEO, Northwest Return to Work