Book Description

An excellent introduction.... Readers of this journal looking for a brief but comprehensive introduction to the field of stress management will find this book to be more than adequate for this purpose. Perhaps the book's greatest strength is the way it has managed to combine insights and research from both occupational psychology and clinical psychology to tackle workplace stress. Cary Cooper would surely be pleased with the authors' efforts at what he has termed "clinical occupational" psychology' - "International Journal of Social Psychiatry " This practical guide focuses on the intervention strategies which can be employed by counsellors to help individuals suffering from emotional and physiological stresses engendered in the workplace. With key points illustrated by case studies, chapters define the nature of occupational stress and provide information about the emotional, behavioural, physiological and cognitive symptoms which can occur. The authors also discuss the factors influencing the problem: factors which can be tied to the individual, to the work setting and to the larger social context. Specific coping strategies explored are targeted both at the individual, for example relaxation training and stress management programmes, and at the workplace, for instance job redesign and career planning. Finally, methods that practitioners can use to evaluate their interventions are presented in detail.