Challenge
*Nikki became a nurse to help others, but one day, she was the one that needed help the most. At fifty-years-old, she was almost thirty years into her career and loved her job. Though while working a routine shift in the emergency room, she was attached by a male patient who was there for an emergency psychiatric consult.
The patient attempted to gouge at Nikki’s eyes with his keys and hit her multiple times on the head before other staff were able to intervene and restrain the patient. After recovering from her physical injuries, Nikki’s employer was hopeful she would be able to go back to work, but it wasn’t just physical stress that she had gone through.
Solution
The treatment provider then indicated that Nikki would also need psychological treatment due to her mental stress. After the attack, she began suffering from flashbacks and panic attacks, causing her to lose sleep and be in a constant state of anxiety. Nikki was then referred by the claims adjuster to the Careworks behavioral health solution (BHS) to assist her with mental recovery and give her access to appropriate treatment.
During this process, the behavioral health specialist spoke with Nikki at length to help her feel comfortable with the idea of seeing a psychologist for professional health. The BHS specialist then took the initiative to screen appropriate psychologists with expertise in treating trauma reactions and found one with specific training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Result
Confident that the BHS specialist was leading her down the right path, Nikki began seeing the psychologist that was recommended to her. After building her mental preparation and finding relief in the EMDR sessions that were offered to her, Nikki was ready to rejoin her job. Nikki was then able to confidently return to work, and more importantly, return to the life that she loved and had built herself for thirty years.
*Name changed for privacy purposes