Hi Carr,
We use the IAPT service in our area and have a great relationship with them and in fact directly refer employees who we feel would benefit from the service. One of the team is an Occupational Psychologist which helps a little I suspect.
I am a little surprised by the information that this gentleman has received as this is not the sort of thing that our IAPT team have ever advised. Usually they are keen to liaise with the management team and us in OH where appropriate so that a team approach can be taken with individuals to safeguard their mental health and ensure that they either remain in the workplace or can be returned to the workplace without damage to them or the Organisation.
Sarah
Just had an interesting case where the employee was referred as he is distress about being performance managed. The employee was initially open to OH involvement as he thought we could tell his employer not to manage him and thus alleviate his workplace stress. When I advised this was not the case he completely shut down and would not engage in the functional assessment and just kept repeating "i have work place stress".
Interestingly (and I do accept I only have his report on this) he states his GP referred him to the IAPT Employment Advisor
After listening to Mr X's story the EA wrote him a letter for his employer advising that performance management be dropped and instead a training plan put in place as this would alleviate his "work stress". He has now fixated on this letter as being a big stick to beat his employer with and anticipated OH would rubber stamp his demand for performance management to be dropped. I suspect he has some mental health history however he refused to give me a medical history stating the EA had advised him he did not have to disclose his medical history to anyone. I agreed that was correct but that he had agreed to referral to OH and I needed to be able to take a history as part of my assessment. I reassured about confidentiality etc but no joy.. .he just kept repeating "i have work stress... they need to stop this performance management and my stress will go away". He did admit to no
current clinical illness though when I raised the "distressed not depressed" concept.
I've handed it back to management and can see termination of his contract in his future as his employer has already supported extra training etc (twice) and it is the failure of that to have any effect that led to formal performance managemetn but am just curious to hear if anyone else has had any employee's who have been to the IAPT EA service? I can't imagine that they feel telling an employee they can recommend a management process be stopped to help them manage their stress is beneficial to anyone. Interestingly he also told me unprompted that his GP and the EA told him he could not be medically retired for this; he was quite shocked when I pointed out he could be managed under the capability process though.
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