From the Australian Rehabilitation Providers Association
3rd National Injury Management Conference 2008
Influencing by Commitment and Teamwork

The words injury prevention generally conjure thoughts of manual handling training, personal protective equipment and safety procedures. Rarely do the words positive psychology come to mind.

But they should, according to psychologist Dr Timothy Sharp.

Dr Sharp, of The Happiness Institute and Dr Timothy Sharp and Associates, says positive psychology can be one of the most effective tools against injury, particularly for workers who demonstrate yellow flags – psychological indicators of the likelihood of sustaining an injury.

At the 2008 ARPA conference in Sydney Dr Sharp spoke about the importance of positive psychology in injury prevention and of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as one of the most effective psychological treatment tools.

Sharp’s presentation focused on treatment under the biopsychosocial model, which incorporates physical, cognitive, emotional, behavioural and social, and contextual factors influencing an individual and their injury.

He discussed the role of psychology in injury prevention – highlighting that the aim of psychology is “to facilitate positive change...not necessarily just to make people feel good.

The use of positive psychology as a preventative measure prior to an injury occurring was described as one example of the use of psychological intervention during any stage of an injury. Should an injury occur, Sharp says psychological treatment is also useful during the acute phase of the injury, as well as following recovery for maintenance and relapse prevention purposes.

Sharp says creating a positive pyschological experience in the workplace can help reduce the instance of injury. To create this positive environment requires the provision of fair, reasonable and safe working conditions, ensuring a sense of purpose, building positive relationships, providing varied and challenging tasks, allowing autonomy and control and enabling satisfaction and achievement.

Through positive psychology, Sharp says it is possible to build a workforce of healthier people with more energy, lower absenteeism, higher retention and productivity, with positive energetic relationships and improved collaboration and innovation.

The culmination of these positives in turn leads to the most important long-term benefit - the prevention of injury among workers.

However, Sharp realises that, no matter how positive the workplace, it is likely some people will still be injured.

He describes the likelihood of injury being more prevalent when a number of psychological risk factors or yellow flags - are evident.

Yellow flags include issues with a range of psycho-social constructs, listed under the acronym FACTOR WEB:

• Family
• Attitudes and beliefs
• Compensation issues
• Treatment and diagnosis issues
• Older or other injuries
• Return to Work Status
• Work
• Emotions
• Behaviours

Of these yellow flags Sharp says issues with family, attitudes and beliefs and work are generally the biggest risk factors leading to injury.

When injury does occur, Sharp recommends the use of CBT for treatment. He states CBT is widely regarded as the most effective intervention for the most common types of work related injuries, such as non-specific chronic pain, depression, stress and anxiety, post traumatic stress disorder and interpersonal problems.

Sharp describes the aim of CBT as the achievement of relevant, measurable goals through active modification of appropriate thoughts and behaviours.

He stressed that CBT is not a form of counseling, but includes instruction in active and effective coping strategies to create self-sufficient clients who can help themselves.

The treatment is a short term intervention which focuses on the present and future - not the past. It should focus on solutions - not the problem. It should also be practical and skills based and a collaborative effort between the injured worker and the treating practitioner.