EAP Corner, Wholeness Healing Today


When Death or Tragedy Happen

Loss, death, accident, suicide, homicide, divorce, fire, disease, natural disaster. All happen in our lives but nothing quite prepares us for the aftermath, the emotions, or the re-entry into normalcy. We at Wholeness Healing Center understand that all too well and work hard to guide clients through the process.

We have developed, trained, and have available processes with our Crisis Response Plan to address needs that arise when tragedy happens. We have a three part program to address all needs, with the necessary training to bring those services to businesses, families, and individuals.

We have a Critical Incident Management process, similar to the CISM (Critical Incident Stress Management) protocol of the State Patrol, and several of our therapists have been trained in that process. This involves “debriefing” responders to a tragedy. We recognize how important this is, and as vital as de-briefing 1st responders, it is also vitally important to de-brief others responding to people in crisis. “Taking care of the care-takers” allows those people to continue in their jobs and to be ready to respond the next time. This might be 1st responders, Crisis Intervention Teams, HR personnel, doctors, nurses, all those in the health care field, even therapists.  We now do in-house de-briefing in our practice, as it allows us to be more genuinely available for our clients.

Another offering in our program is Crisis Response. We offer the response through our EAP programs, but also have
several therapists who are credentialed to respond to crisis situations, including accidental factory deaths, business
closings, bank robberies, among others. This is immediate response, and we’re often onsite within a couple hours of
the incident, to guide people through the shock and make available someone trained to help manage the details and
help businesses continue their work, while taking care of their employees.

We have always offered grief counseling in our practice, as most counseling agencies do. Grief may take the form of death, disease, fire, flood, divorce, moving, custody loss, just a myriad of change and loss in one’s life. Even though we know about some things (long-term dying), nothing ever truly prepares us for the enormity of acceptance of grief. Triggers can hit immediately and the mourning can continue for years, affecting daily living and relationships. WHC understands that and works hard to address each situation individually, guiding toward a return to normalcy, with acceptance of the loss
and the accompanying emotions.

Grief is difficult. Loss can be unbearable. We understand that death is inevitable. At Wholeness Healing Center, we work toward guiding clients to express and embrace their feelings, coming to a greater understanding of the loss, moving into the future in a gentle way. Our services can be accessed through the EAP (Employment Assistance Program), or by individually contracting a specified service. We believe that addressing the situation, in a timely manner, allows all involved to move through the loss. For those who see and work with loss on a daily basis, it is extremely important to continue the selfcare. You can’t fill someone else’s cup if your cup is empty; you are important to us. If you have a need or questions about any part of these services, please contact us.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  • Licensed Independent Mental Health Practitioner
    Licensed Professional Counselor
    Advanced Clinical HypnoTherapist

  • Deb England began working part-time for Wholeness Healing Center in September 2004 and began full-time in May 2005. Deb practices primarily in the Broken Bow office and one day a week in the Grand Island office. Previously she had completed her practicum and internship at Morning Star Alliance, working in the Broken Bow and Grand Island offices.

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