Consulting Services

We provide consulting services for managers, HR professionals & employees to help them deal with difficult situations.

Our consulting services include:

1) Coaching and problem-resolution services for managers, HR professionals & employees
2) Individual assessment of an employee who may have an unique personality
3) Facilitation and mediation
4) Return-to-work services

Return-to-Work Services

1. General Return-to-Work Support
   We provide an initial assessment of the workplace situation and employee concerns. We then offer recommendations to the employee and workplace that will lead to an effective resolution. This category of return-to-work support may include physical issues and concerns related to the workplace.
   
   
2. Mental Health and Addiction Return-to-Work Support
   We help to ensure employees get the right mental health or addiction treatment so they can return-to-work faster.
   Research shows that too many good employees with mental health issues or addictions are lost or have prolonged absences due to ineffective interventions. Organizations spend huge sums on services that don’t deliver real results.

We take a new approach:

• We provide independent, efficient psychiatric and psychological expertise to define the problem
• We can turn-around treatment plans that have stalled or are ineffective
• We work collaboratively with all stakeholders: the employee, the manager, co-workers, physicians, HR, unions and all other parties
• We provide the workplace with specific ways to work with and assist employees who are returning to work
• We help employees not only to return to work but to stay at work and remain healthy
• We can recommend IMEs (Independent Medical Examiners) with knowledge of workplace issues. An IME may be needed to establish a medical diagnosis or to provide clearance for sensitive return-to-work issues

The Return-to-Work Process

This process typically takes between 10 to 15 hours. Our process generally follows the outline below:

Using a collaborative approach and unique strategies we assist employees and employers towards a successful and sustainable return to work.  This process typically takes between 10 – 15 hours. Our process generally follows the outline below:

Assessment

We review relevant documents, interview the employee and employer and any relevant treatment providers including physicians, all with appropriate consent.

The assessment includes the Occupational Psychiatric and Workplace reviews detailed below:

Independent Workplace Review

We assess the relationship between the Employee’s Mental Health condition and the Workplace. We interview relevant personnel in the workplace. This is not an investigation. The interviews are seen as part of a collaborative process to find solutions to the situation. Through this process we determine the workplace conditions for a successful return to work and identify possible barriers that need to be addressed.

Occupational Psychiatric Review

This review involves understanding the situation from the employee’s perspective. The employee’s mental health and any treatment issues are explored. The focus is on resolving barriers to the RTW and offering recommendations to treating physicians and other treatment providers. This process is not to adjudicate disability, not to find who is right or who is wrong, but rather to focus on providing the employee with strategies for a successful and sustainable return to work.

Recommended Action Plan

After the reviews we distill the information gathered into a concise report that offers recommendations to all relevant participants in the process.  The report may comment on the impact of the mental health issue in the workplace.  The report does not include any diagnostic information unless consent is given and it is relevant to the return to work.

Treatment Services

These services may be found to be required during the assessment phase as well as after the completion of the report.

Psychiatric Case Management
Dr. Alan Buchanan (with consent from the employee) will assist the treating physician with ongoing consultation regarding medications and access to appropriate mental health resources. The employee’s physician is the typical recipient of this service.

Psychological Services Case Management
Grant Grobman (with consent from the employee), will consult with the treatment provider regarding effective psychological approaches that are focused on helping the employee to return to work. If required we will recommend a referral to a CWS approved treatment provider. These providers specialize in providing effective treatments services which have a return to work focus. We follow-up with the treatment providers to ensure that the services are timely and outcome informed.

Workplace Interventions

• Manager consultation and coaching
• Mediation and conflict resolution
• Coworker consultation and coaching
• Union consultation and coaching

Exit Plans

In some cases return to work is not feasible. Through the assessment phase it may be acknowledged by the employee and employer that the return to work would be not be possible given the employee’s mental health or workplace conditions. When this is the case we will make recommendations that would be mutually satisfactory to all concerned.

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