Lisa IrvingClinical Psychologist · Telehealth
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Full courseFor injured workers

PTSD in the Workplace: A Practical Guide for Employees

Workplace trauma impacts mental health and productivity. This course helps employees with PTSD, to navigate their treatment and return to work process. Learn to recognise PTSD, seek effective support, explore treatment options, assess work capacity, and navigate workers compensation. Gain practical tools to foster recovery and understand legal responsibilities.

12 modules · 69 lessons · Approx. 8 hours

Welcome!

Lisa Irving (Clinical Psychologist) welcomes you to this course.

If you’re here, it’s likely because you’ve experienced a traumatic event at work, or you’re dealing with the effects of trauma now, and you want to better understand what’s happening and how to move forward.

This course has been created to support employees who have experienced work-related trauma or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). You’ll learn more about what you're going through, the support you’re entitled to, and the practical steps you can take toward recovery and returning to work safely and confidently, in your own time.

The goal is simple:

  • Help you make sense of your experience
  • Give you practical strategies to cope and heal
  • Support you through recovery, work adjustments, and next steps
  • Empower you with knowledge about treatment and your rights

You are not alone, and the fact that you're here shows strength.

What You Will Learn in This Course

Module 1: Introduction, Lisa Irving & The CARES Model for Work-Related PTSD
Meet your facilitator, explore the CARES Model, and reflect on your own role in recovery. This module also helps you understand how the course is structured, encourages you to consider your perspective as an employee, and includes a short pre-commencement survey to help you track your learning journey.

Module 2: Understanding PTSD After A Workplace Incident
Learn what PTSD is, how it develops, and the different ways it can show up in daily life and at work. You’ll gain insight into symptoms, triggers, and the difference between PTSD and other stress responses.

Module 3: Accessing Support for PTSD
Explore the practical supports available to you - from medical treatment and psychological services to workplace adjustments. This module will also guide you on how to seek support and communicate your needs.

Module 4: Navigating the Workers Compensation System
Understand your rights, responsibilities, and the processes involved in workers compensation. We will highlight how to approach claims, common challenges, and how to advocate for yourself effectively.

Module 5: Effective Treatment Options for PTSD
Gain a clear overview of evidence-based treatments, with a focus on Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR). You will learn what treatment might look like and how to find the right approach for you.

Module 6: Work Capacity and Return-to-Work
Learn how to recognise when you may be ready to return-to-work, how to pace yourself, and how to work with professionals to make this transition smoother and safer.

Module 7: Observations and Recommendations for High-Risk Occupations
Some occupational groups experience higher rates of PTSD. Here, we’ll discuss why and how this may apply to your own experience.

Module 8: Career Redirection, Inspiration for You to Consider
Sometimes recovery opens new pathways. This module offers encouragement and strategies for exploring career changes or redirection if that becomes part of your journey.

Module 9: Being Clever With Your Money While on Workers Compensation
Practical guidance on managing your finances during a difficult time, ensuring stability while you focus on recovery.

Module 10: Thank You and a Note on the AI Used
Provides clarity around how the AI tools that have been incorporated to enhance your learning experience.

Module 11: Assessment and Certification of Completion
We’ll conclude with final reflections, additional tools (including AI-supported resources), and your assessment for course completion certification.

Module 12: Readings and References Relevant to the Course
A curated list of materials to deepen your knowledge and support you beyond this course.

What to Expect

Each module is short, practical, and free of fluff. Everything is designed to be applied to your real-world experience.

The course takes around 8 hours in total, but you do not need to complete it all at once. Your progress saves automatically so you can pause and return whenever you’re ready.

Learning goals include:

  • Better understand your symptoms and responses

  • Know what support is available and how to access it

  • Be more confident navigating treatment and work decisions

  • Feel more in control of your recovery and rights

You're in the right place, and taking this step matters.
When you're ready, let’s begin.

Modules

12
  1. Introduction: Lisa Irving & The CARES Model for Work Related PTSDMeet Lisa Irving and learn about the CARES model: five steps to support people with work related PTSD and guide recovery effectively.Show 6 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Welcome!
    2. 2.A Little Secret About the Course...
    3. 3.The CARES Model
    4. 4.Acknowledging Your Perspective as the Injured Employee
    5. 5.The Roles of Each Party in the Workers Compensation System
    6. 6.Pre Commencement Survey
  2. Understanding PTSD After A Workplace IncidentLearn what qualifies as a workplace trauma and the common symptoms of PTSD, with real life examples to illustrate how these experiences may present.Show 6 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Introduction to PTSD
    2. 2.What is the Prevalence of PTSD in Specific Work Settings?
    3. 3.Recognising PTSD
    4. 4.The Impact of PTSD on Work Performance
    5. 5.Psychometry: A Screening Tool for PTSD, Depression, Anxiety, and Stress
    6. 6.The Flashback You Didn’t Expect: Why Your Brain Waited Until Now to Bring This Up
  3. Accessing Support for PTSDIt's important to access support after the psychological injury. Your employer and loved ones often do not know what to say or do or understand what treatments or help to get you. So let's help them.Show 7 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Do You Feel Supported By Your Employer?
    2. 2.What Should Employers Do When An Employee Has A Psychological Injury?
    3. 3.Don't Say This...Say This Instead
    4. 4.Access to Early Psychological Treatment
    5. 5.The Role of Vocational Rehabilitation Providers and Injury Management Consultants
    6. 6.Incident Response Review: A Structured Interview
    7. 7.PTSD Audit
  4. Navigating the Workers Compensation SystemWorkCover WA now recognizes PTSD as a compensable workplace injury: understanding employers and workers rights and responsibilities.Show 3 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Employer's Responsibilities
    2. 2.Workers’ Rights and Responsibilities under WorkCover WA Legislation
    3. 3.Where Employers Go Wrong with PTSD Claims
  5. Effective Treatment Options for PTSDExplore effective treatments for PTSD, including EMDR, CBT, exposure therapy, mindfulness, relaxation, meditation, hypnosis, and grounding strategies.Show 8 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Summary of Treatment Options for PTSD
    2. 2.EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing)
    3. 3.What Is Psychological Safety and Why Is It Important?
    4. 4.Mapping Incidents to Prepare for EMDR
    5. 5.Case Studies: Understanding Reminders of the Incident and Trauma Logic
    6. 6.Reminders of the Incident
    7. 7.Trauma Logic
    8. 8.What Is Generalisation and How Exposure Therapy Helps Undo It
  6. Assessing Work Capacity: When Is a Worker Ready to Return?Learn how psychologists assess a worker’s capacity for return to work: the signs of readiness, and the indicators that recovery is not yet complete.Show 2 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.How Does A Clinical Psychologist Assess If A Worker Is Ready To Return to Work?
    2. 2.Slower Is Faster with PTSD: Why Safety and Pace Matter
  7. Observations and Recommendations for Occupational Groups at Higher Risk of PTSDLisa shares her insights and practical recommendations for occupational groups more vulnerable to PTSD, based on years of clinical experience supporting workers.Show 7 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Setting the Scene: Stories and Occupations Affected by PTSD
    2. 2.Support Workers: Disability, Aged Care, Detox, and Community Services
    3. 3.Prison Officers
    4. 4.Teachers
    5. 5.Mining: Physical Injury and Sudden Accidents
    6. 6.Nurses and Allied Health: Working in ED and Other Departments
    7. 7.Firefighters
  8. Career Redirection: Inspiration For You To ConsiderExplore new career pathways after trauma. Gain inspiration, reflect on strengths, and discover options that align with your values and wellbeing.Show 4 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Reconnecting With You: An Opportunity to Create a New Pathway
    2. 2.It’s Not Too Late to Change: An Inspirational Story
    3. 3.Changing Uncertainty Into A Certain Plan
    4. 4.Future Us Meeting: What Will You Say?
  9. Being Clever With Your Money While On Workers CompensationLearn practical ways to manage your money while on workers compensation. This module covers budgeting, planning, and financial choices that reduce stress and support recovery.Show 2 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.Money Skills
    2. 2.Taking Responsibility vs Feeling Helpless
  10. A Thank You and a Note on the AI UsedA closing thank you to participants, with insights into the AI used to create some of the stories and characters featured in this course.Show 1 lessonHide lessons
    1. 1.Thank You
  11. Assessment and Certification of CompletionComplete the quiz and the survey at the end of the course to consolidate your learning and receive your certificate of completion.Show 2 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.PTSD in the Workplace Quiz
    2. 2.Post Completion Survey
  12. Readings and References Relevant to the CourseA collection of key readings and references supporting the course content, organised by topic for further learning and credibility.Show 21 lessonsHide lessons
    1. 1.References: The CARES model
    2. 2.References: The Employer's Perspective
    3. 3.References: Understanding PTSD After a Workplace Incident
    4. 4.References: What is the Prevalence of PTSD in Specific Work Settings?
    5. 5.References: Identify and Recognise PTSD in Employees
    6. 6.References: Impact of Work Related PTSD on Work Performance
    7. 7.References: The Employer’s Role in a Supportive Work Environment
    8. 8.References: What Employers Should Say and Not Say, Do and Not Do
    9. 9.References: IRR and PTSD Audit
    10. 10.References: Navigating The Workers Compensation System
    11. 11.References: Effective Treatment Options for PTSD
    12. 12.References: Psychological Safety
    13. 13.References: Return To Work Factors
    14. 14.References: The Worker’s Work Capacity: When Is It Good for the Worker to Return to Work?
    15. 15.References: Occupational Groups with High Prevalence of PTSD
    16. 16.References: Prevalence of Support Workers with PTSD
    17. 17.References: Prevalence of Prison Officers with PTSD
    18. 18.References: Prevalence of PTSD in School Teachers
    19. 19.References: Prevalence of PTSD in the Mining Industry
    20. 20.References: Prevalence of PTSD in Nurses and Allied Health Professionals
    21. 21.References: Prevalence of PTSD in Firefighters