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OUTREACH TO EMPLOYEES
Meet Our New Catastrophic
Injury Response Partners
BY: NANCI GINTY BUTLER, LICSW, RIVERSIDE TRAUMA CENTER
RIVERSIDE TRAUMA Center is part of A.I.M.
Mutual’s CAT team network.
Riverside’s counselors
provide critical services in the aftermath of
workplace trauma incidents and may be asked to
work with policyholders under certain circumstances.
What often gets overlooked in the aftermath of a
workplace accident or traumatic event?
When responding to a crisis, supervisors or administrators
may be, understandably, focused on the logistics of what
needs to happen next. There may be a belief that whatever
style of grieving or coping works best for them is what’s best
for their entire team. In addition, as they focus on supporting
their team, they may not be taking care of themselves.
Another area to consider is all the other people affected
by the injury or loss. Are there remote employees who had
frequent contact with the worker? We want to be sure to
provide support for a wide range of individuals and teams
who may be impacted.
What is the mission of Riverside Trauma Center?
Riverside Trauma Center provides critical incident
services throughout New England. We work with
communities, schools, health and human services providers,
workplaces, and individuals. Our team is composed of highly
trained, licensed mental health professionals who have
expertise in managing acute trauma, traumatic grief, and
other highly stressful events.
We’ve provided support services after incidents
such as the Boston Marathon bombing; the workplace
shootings at Edgewater Technologies in Wakefield,
Massachusetts; and a bus crash that took the lives of
four students in Newton, Massachusetts. In the past
10 years, we have worked to expand the availability
of our services by partnering with workplaces, trade
organizations, and employee assistance programs.
What can an employer expect from Riverside after a
workplace trauma?
We consult with the company contact responsible
for organizing the response to get an understanding of
the particular needs, corporate culture, and impacted
employees. Who was directly involved? Were there injuries
or fatalities? Who needs to be informed? Are there other
considerations, such as a police investigation, that might
affect what we do? These are some of the questions we
might ask.
How did you come to partner with A.I.M. Mutual?
We were contacted by the Best Doctors Occupational
Health Institute (BDOHI) which was seeking a provider of
psychological trauma response services to complement
its medical service model. Both A.I.M. Mutual and BDOHI
expressed a service need for addressing an employee’s
psychological health following an on-site critical incident,
whether it be the injured worker or that worker’s
colleagues, to facilitate recovery for everyone involved.
From there we’d provide options, things that have
worked well based on our experience in similar situations.
If requested, we’d go out and provide on-site support for
the impacted staff. We provide both individual and group
support using evidence-informed practices. Our services are
always tailored to the specific needs of the workplace and
the event.
ABOUT NANCI GINTY BUTLER
What services do you provide for employers?
We provide outreach, consultation, and counseling to
help people recover from the overwhelming stress caused
by traumatic events using evidence-based modalities
of Psychological First Aid and Post-Traumatic Stress
Management.
We also provide expert consultation to employers,
developing or updating their critical incident protocols. We
work with companies looking to adopt a trauma-informed
approach within their workplace and provide training.
NANCI GINTY BUTLER, LICSW, is Senior Clinician-
Coordinator for Program Development at Riverside
Trauma Center. She has 20 years of experience as a
clinician and trainer and has been a Trauma Responder
for both broad-scale and localized events. She holds a
specialty certificate in Family Therapy and is a Certified
Instructor for QPR Gatekeeper (suicide prevention), a
Certified Instructor in Youth Mental Health First Aid,
and a Certified Trainer for the Signs of Suicide school-
based curriculum. Nanci is also an Adjunct Professor
at the Boston University School of Social Work.
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