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Workplace Issues: Stress and Conflict at Work

The workplace can be one of the most stressful things in life, a potential hotbed of office politics, interpersonal conflict, poor communication, pressure to perform, and confrontations with issues of ethics and integrity. Work issues generate a great many referrals to mental health professionals nationwide.

One of the first factors a counselor will consider is whether the current work environment can be changed by another job, transfer request, or promotion: Sometimes the best way to deal with a bad situation is simply to change the situation itself.

Barring that option, the next step is to study carefully which specific aspects of work cause the most difficulty. In some cases, the solution is to be more assertive; in others, more tactful, careful, or correct. The work environment may also present an opportunity to examine why certain people are especially upsetting and difficult.

One of the tenets of cognitive-behavior therapy is that in large part we upset ourselves with our own self-talk, going along without reflection when thinking that dishonest people should be honest, that rude people should be polite, and that the overly serious and demanding of our bosses and co-workers should just lighten up. This is a prescription for a great deal of stress and frustration, emotions which can be managed more effectively by some careful practice under the guidance of a good therapist.

In workplace matters and in nearly all other areas of human stress, a careful assessment of each client and situation should be made first, followed by a treatment plan tailored to the needs indicated by the initial process of study and consideration