Can WorkCover Pay for Counselling in Queensland?
Returning to work after a workplace injury can be one of the hardest parts of recovery! You might genuinely want to get back to work and still feel anxious about walking through the door and returning back to the place where you have been injured.
Maybe you’re worried the pain or psychological distress will flare up again and that your suitable duties won’t actually feel very suitable. Maybe you’ll be expected to do too much, too quickly or that your manager or colleagues won’t understand why you can’t simply pick up where you left off.
Sometimes it’s the workplace itself that feels difficult. A phone call, an email from your manager or even driving towards work can bring that familiar feeling of anxiety or distress.
If this is happening to you, it is worth paying attention to.
Why can returning to work after an injury cause anxiety?
Recovering from a workplace injury isn’t only about whether your body is physically capable of returning. An injury can also change how safe, confident and in control you feel at work.
For some people, the workplace is where the injury happened. For others, the stress comes from what has happened since the injury and navigating a WorkCover claim, appointments, certificates, changing work capacity, suitable duties or difficult conversations with an employer.
You might find yourself thinking:
- What if I hurt myself again?
- What if I can’t manage the workload?
- What if they think I’m exaggerating?
- What if my suitable duties become my usual duties?
- What if I panic or become overwhelmed at work?
- What happens if I’m not ready when everyone expects me to be?
Trying to recover while also managing those worries can be exhausting and cause an increase in distress or anxiety.
What does return-to-work anxiety look like?
It won’t look the same for everyone as we each experience life and injuries diffirently so it’s important not to compare progress to other people who are navigating similar workplace injuries.
You might notice that you:
- feel tense, sick or on edge before work
- have trouble sleeping before a shift or return-to-work meeting
- dread calls, messages or emails from your workplace
- replay the injury or incident in your mind
- worry constantly about reinjury
- become tearful, irritable or overwhelmed more easily
- find it harder to concentrate or make decisions
- notice your pain feels harder to manage when you are stressed
- avoid conversations about returning to work
- feel okay at home but become distressed when you think about the workplace.
Sometimes people tell themselves they should be coping better because their physical injury is improving but physical recovery and emotional recovery do not always happen at the same pace.
Return to work does not have to mean immediately returning to everything you were doing before your injury.
Your work capacity, medical recommendations and suitable duties all form part of the return-to-work process.
How can WorkCover counselling help with returning to work?
Counselling isn’t about convincing you to push through anxiety or return before you feel ready. We focus on helping you understand what is making the return to work feel difficult and work out what may help you move forward.
Depending on what is happening for you, counselling may focus on:
- understanding anxiety, stress and your body’s response after an injury
- managing fear of reinjury
- rebuilding confidence in your ability to work
- developing strategies for anxiety before or during shifts
- preparing for conversations with your employer or rehabilitation team
- identifying what appropriate support or suitable duties may look like
- managing uncertainty during the WorkCover process
- coping with changes to your role, identity, routine or independence
- processing a traumatic workplace incident
- gradually rebuilding a sense of safety around work.
WorkCover Queensland refers to this type of support as Adjustment to Injury Counselling, which can support injured workers to understand their injury, develop coping strategies and navigate returning to work and everyday life.
Counselling can provide a space to work through what you are worried about, identify the situations that are particularly difficult and help you communicate more clearly about the support you may need.
It can also help separate the things you can influence from the parts of the WorkCover process that may be outside your control.
WorkCover Psychology And Counselling in Caloundra, Kedron and online
You shouldn’t have to spend every Sunday night worrying about Monday morning, or feel your stomach drop every time your workplace calls.
Getting support early can make it easier to understand what is happening and begin building practical strategies before anxiety starts taking over more of your life.
At With Grace Therapy, we support people experiencing anxiety, stress, trauma and adjustment following a workplace injury, including concerns about returning to work.
We provide WorkCover psychology and counselling in Brisbane and Caloundra, as well as telehealth where appropriate.
If you already have a WorkCover claim, you can also speak with your WorkCover contact about whether counselling or Adjustment to Injury Counselling may be available as part of your recovery.
Feeling anxious about returning to work after an injury?
You can contact With Grace Therapy to talk about your options, or book an appointment with one of our therapists experienced in supporting workplace injury and return-to-work concerns.
