Treating work stress: an alternative to workers' compensation

Work stress is a growing and expensive problem. A model for group psychotherapy for disgruntled workers presenting with psychiatric symptoms was offered through Kaiser Permanente's outpatient psychiatry department. The findings of a 2-year follow-up study conducted on group participants indicate that this type of cognitive-behavioral group psychotherapy can be helpful in increasing employee satisfaction and adjustment at work. This also raises the possibility that early intervention through group psychotherapy may be effective in reducing the incidence of workers' compensation stress claims.