Dazed and Confused?

The ice storm is over, your electricity has returned (we hope) and you're back at work. It's time to put the recent past behind you and go full throttle to make up for the work you missed last week, right?

Maybe not. According to Irv Rosenstein, an employee assistance counsellor at the Royal Victoria Hospital, the individuals who were most affected by the ice storm and the resulting power outages are going to need some time to regroup. "It would be a mistake to pretend this never happened."

He advises getting started more slowly. "It's okay not to set out to climb high mountains for a while. People should be satisfied with climbing medium-sized mountains."

Rosenstein and his fellow counsellor Lynn Hovey offer free counselling to McGill staff, courtesy of the University's Department of Human Resources. For a small fee, staff and students could also seek out counselling at the new McGill Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic, a teaching and training unit of the Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology. Master's and doctoral students provide the counselling services, under the supervision of licensed clinicians and McGill professors.

Marilyn Fitzpatrick, a counsellor at the clinic, says the ice storm and the power shortages have raised many concerns for people. "One of the things that really affected people was the loss of control, the sense that they just didn't know what to expect next. People are having problems fitting themselves back into their old routines after going through such an unsettling experience."

Rosenstein says that managers and department heads need to "recognize that a lot of people are running on empty right now. They're physically and emotionally exhausted.

"In an emergency, you can keep yourself going, no matter how fatigued you are. But once the crisis is over, it takes its toll on you. It's normal for people to feel extreme exhaustion and to suffer from some type of sleep disorder. Many people can't focus or concentrate as deeply as they would like. People aren't as jovial as they usually are -- in fact, they'll be downright grouchy at times."

Rosenstein suggests that bosses give their staff the opportunity to share their ice storm experiences with one another. "Some companies spend thousands of dollars sending their executives into the wilderness for team-building exercises. That's similar to the survival process we've all just gone through. This is a priceless team-building opportunity."

Staff wishing to see an employee assistance counsellor can reach Irv Rosenstein at 8888-4049 or Lynn Hovey at 8888-4050. McGill's Psychoeducational and Counselling Clinic can be reached at 4641. Students who want to see a counsellor can call the Counselling Service at 3601.