Foreword

Many of us are ill-prepared to handle the traumatic events discussed in this handbook—suicides, assaults, threats, natural disasters, etc. And yet these events can and do occur in our workplaces. They are events for which preparation helps, and this handbook tells us how to prepare.

In addition to use this handbook for preparation purposes, it is an invaluable guide to follow should a traumatic event occur at your workplace. It is a good idea to keep it handy just in case. It will give you practical ideas on what to say to your employees and approaches to take to facilitate recovery.

The handbook was written by Mary Tyler, Ph.D., of OPM's Employee Health Services Policy Center, who is a preeminent expert in the field of workplace violence and trauma. She is well recognized in the United States and Europe for her research on trauma in the workplace, and has provided technical assistance to many organizations.

The information in this manual reflects Dr. Tyler's extensive experience in helping Federal managers cope with traumatic situations. In addition, Chapters 1, 3, and 5 rely on research studies conducted by Dr. Tyler with Colonel Robert K. Gifford, Ph.D., U.S. Army, for the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. The findings were published in the Journal of Traumatic Stress, Disaster Management, Military Chaplains' Review, and Sozialwissenschaftliches Institut der Bundeswehr Forum.