About Kimberly Expertise Hi, I have suffered through years of depression and the many disorders that
come with it. It is a very scary experience and hard at times to get through
the day. But I have now gotten to the other side of the pain and found hope
and courage and life. I want to be a person you can feel comfortable talking
to, and in talking with me that you can feel at ease knowing that I have
been there and I do understand. I want to be a friend and listen and I will
do my very best to ease the feelings you feel and help you in your journey
to a better happier life. You are not alone and I would love to be there to
help you fight.
Experience My greatest accomplishment is knowing that I have been there and today, I'm here to help others in their healing. The biggest accomplishment lies in those who write for help in so doing they are taking a huge step in their healing!
I am currently a student in Psychology, and have been certified in Crisis prevention since 2001.
Expert: Kimberly Date: 5/20/2008 Subject: Depression in the workplace
Question I am a teacher and work with young people with learning difficulties. One of my colleagues -who I like and value - has had depressive episodes for over 20 years. At the moment she is very stressed and is unnecessarily harsh with the students. This has been noted by others and as her manager I have been asked to deal with it. I fear that if I question my colleague's attitude - even gently- she will over react and it could make her depression worse (she has explained that she can take an innocent remark to heart and dwell on it for days). However my first loyalty is to the young people I teach and feel that they are the most vulnerable in this scenario(in that they are being spoken to without being valued and so their self confidence could be damaged - not that they are at risk of any physical abuse). How do I get my colleague to evaluate her own actions and change her behaviour towards the young people she is paid to support without making her feel 'unworthy' or 'useless' (her description of herself - not mine)
Answer You’re right; your first commitment needs to be with your children. I can understand your concerns and I can appreciate your compassion. I also agree that being gentle is the way to go. Ask her if you can talk to her, sit with her and ask if there are concerns that she has, and ask if there’s anything going on in her life. Talk about your concerns and ask if there’s anyway that you can help. This would also be a good time to then share with her your observations. Instead of right off the bat saying, “I’ve noticed a change in behavior lately and the children are suffering because of it.” This feels and looks like an attack for her. Therefore the approach of showing concern for her feelings shows that you care, and that you want to help, but you also want to be sure that the children don’t suffer because she is.
