Reintegration of the Workforce Using a Trauma-Sensitive Strategy: Exploring Its Benefits
NATAL, a nonprofit organisation with expertise in mental health treatment, has developed a unique career development model to help individuals with PTSD return to the workforce or find a new professional pathway. This model, introduced three years ago by NATAL's parent organisation, is designed to be short-term, goal-oriented, trauma-informed, and evidence-based.
Maayan Aviv, the CEO of American Friends of NATAL, explains that the model is crucial for individuals with PTSD as trauma in the workplace can significantly impact cognitive function, emotional regulation, motivation, and lead to loss of occupational identity, sleep deprivation, emotional and sensory dysregulation, negative thoughts, and a break in trust and sense of safety.
The model emphasises understanding trauma's impact on a person's "window of tolerance"—the optimal zone of arousal for functioning effectively—which is often narrower in trauma survivors. By helping individuals recognise and manage hyperarousal (anxiety, overwhelm) and hypoarousal (numbness, disconnection), trauma-informed career support enables them to maintain or gradually expand their capacity to handle workplace stressors, improving decision-making, emotional regulation, and job performance.
Trauma-informed career development incorporates evidence-based clinical knowledge about PTSD, such as understanding trauma's neurobiological effects and symptomology, alongside practical interventions like cognitive processing therapy and skills-based approaches to challenge shame, guilt, and unhelpful beliefs. This comprehensive understanding allows career counselors or social workers to tailor interventions that support healing and career growth concurrently.
Core features of trauma-informed career models include:
- Creating a safe, supportive environment where individuals feel understood and respected regarding their trauma history.
- Integrating trauma recovery principles into career counseling, such as pacing exposure to stressors to avoid overwhelm, building resilience, and strengthening coping mechanisms.
- Offering multidisciplinary support including psychological therapy, social support, and vocational guidance to address both mental health and employment barriers holistically.
- Recognising complex trauma and co-occurring disorders that may affect workforce engagement, thereby providing tailored resources and referrals.
By combining therapeutic techniques with career development principles, trauma-informed models empower individuals with PTSD to re-enter the workforce or pursue new careers with greater emotional stability, confidence, and sustainable success.
The survey of participants enrolled in NATAL's vocational coaching program found that nearly 55% of individuals surveyed reported earning below the national average wage for their position, indicating that they're employed in positions that underutilize their skills. Additionally, 58.6% struggled with procrastination or difficulty in self-organization and time management, 57.5% experienced concentration difficulties, and 51.5% reported low motivation.
Almost half of the participants believe their current or most recent job doesn't reflect their actual capabilities, highlighting the challenge isn't a lack of qualifications, but the internal barriers caused by trauma that hold survivors back from where they should be.
Trauma-informed coaching can teach individuals to be aware of their triggers, emphasise their self-worth and skill set, and help set realistic goals and time frames. In the survey, about 60% of participants in trauma-informed vocational coaching programs reported improvements in employment status or advancements in career planning, and a third reported an increase in income.
Trauma survivors can have strong educational or technical backgrounds, yet they remain unemployed or underemployed due to these internal barriers. To address this, the model should promote post-traumatic growth and discovering new meaning and a future-oriented career vision. An ecological approach should be taken, considering additional resources and supports that could aid in recovery and growth.
In the post-pandemic workforce, work-from-home opportunities can negatively impact those who need structure, framework, and guidance. Therefore, a structured return to work can significantly help with trauma recovery, as indicated by a study published in Psychology Today.
Research in the United States indicates that veteran employment programs can be effective. In Israel, more could be done to address the impact of PTSD on work functioning. By implementing trauma-informed career development models, NATAL aims to help individuals with PTSD rebuild their lives and careers, fostering a more inclusive and supportive workforce.
Maayan Aviv, CEO of American Friends of NATAL, asserts that trauma-informed career development models like the one offered by NATAL are essential for individuals with PTSD, as they address the negative impact of trauma on cognitive function, emotional regulation, motivation, and occupational identity in the workplace. This comprehensive model combines therapeutic techniques with career development principles to empower survivors with PTSD to re-enter the workforce or pursue new careers with greater emotional stability, confidence, and sustainable success.
