Psychological Case Study: Psychological Distress in the Workplace

 Psychological Case Study: Ben Experience with Psychological Stress at Work

Most psychological harm doesn’t start with a single dramatic moment. It often starts quietly, in workplaces that expect too much and support too little.

Take the example of Ben, who recently accepted a government role involving reviewing event plans and developing public safety strategies.

Background

A couple of weeks into accepting this position, one of Ben’s colleagues left the workplace and Ben was informally assigned to take on the responsibilities of their role, in addition to his own.

The role involved administrative tasks related to CCTV security systems, which often included viewing graphic CCTV footage to assist the police in compiling evidence for crimes.

Over the next few weeks, Ben started to feel very stressed about this work. He was not appropriately trained for the role which was very different from the work he had initially been hired to do. His workload was starting to feel unmanageable, as he struggled to carry out both his normal duties and the additional ones he had been assigned.

About two months in, Ben raised his concerns with his employer, Pointing out that viewing CCTV footage was not part of the job description when he had accepted the role.

His employer was dismissive of his concerns and instructed him to continue these duties until they could formally appoint someone to take on the role. As Ben was still within his probationary period, he was worried that his job security would be threatened if he didn’t comply, and so he continued as before.

Ben found a lot of what he viewed in the CCTV footage deeply disturbing and was not allowed to talk about it with anyone, because the material was classified as confidential information. This left him feeling unsupported and powerless. Despite raising concerns with his employer repeatedly, no appropriate changes were made.

Ben presented to Headway Psychology under a workers’ compensation claim after several months of escalating psychological distress. By this point, he was experiencing frequent intrusive memories and distressing dreams related to the CCTV footage. He found it difficult to concentrate, felt constantly “on edge,” and was struggling to switch off after work. His sleep had deteriorated, and he had begun to dread going into work each day.

The Broader Picture

Stories like Ben’s are not uncommon. Many workers accessing our services through the workers’ compensation system describe a similar pattern; a role that changes unexpectedly, stress that compounds over time, and a lack of support that leaves them feeling isolated, anxious, or burnt out.

Psychological stress doesn’t just impact how someone feels at work, it can affect every aspect of life. People may withdraw from social connection, lose motivation, struggle with sleep, or begin to question their sense of competence and identity. This is why a holistic approach to recovery can be transformative.

The Treatment Plan

At Headway, we recognise that psychological injuries are multifaceted. We cannot separate our minds from our bodies – so our treatment shouldn’t either. Our Holistic Program integrates psychology, exercise physiology, and dietetics to support clients like Ben from every angle of their recovery.

Psychology

One of our psychologists would work with Ben to help him make sense of his symptoms, understand how trauma and stress can affect the brain and body, and develop strategies to manage intrusive memories and anxiety.

Therapy, in this case, would likely involve Eye Movement and Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR), a first-line and evidence-based treatment for trauma, which incorporates guided eye movements to assist clients in processing distressing memories, events or images.

With most of our memories and life events, we don’t need any help processing them. Over time, our minds naturally break down the memory and file it away, keeping the important bits and discarding the rest. Usually, this means getting rid of most of the sensory and emotional characteristics of the memory, so we are able to think of what has happened without feeling like we are experiencing it again.

But sometimes when we see or experience something very upsetting, our minds can get stuck. This is because such experiences can initiate or activate a belief that feels so disturbing or painful that our mind doesn’t quite know what to do with it.

In Ben’s case, this might be the belief that the world is unsafe, or that he is powerless. When a stressful experience activates a disturbing belief, the mind struggles to file the memory away as it would normally do. Instead, the memory gets stored and encapsulated almost exactly the way it was experienced at the time – with all the emotional and sensory details still attached to it. This can cause the memory to remain distressing long after the threat has passed.

This is where EMDR can be useful. In an EDMR session, clients are asked to identify the most distressing sensory detail of the memory, along with the emotion and belief that it activates. They then engage in guided eye movements, for example, tracking the movements of the psychologist’s finger or pen moving back and forth.

Having to recall details of a memory while simultaneously focusing on the eye tracking task overloads our limited attentional capacity.

Our short-term memory works a bit like a dinner plate – there’s only so much space on it at once. When a person tries to think about a distressing memory and follow the eye movements, the “plate” becomes full. The brain can’t keep the memory in its raw, emotional form, so some of the emotional and sensory details fall off the plate.

Once the memory feels more distant or less emotionally charged, the psychologist is able to work with the client to integrate a more balanced and helpful belief alongside it, such as “I’m safe now” or “I can cope.”

Through this process, clients like Ben often experience a reduction in nightmares,  less distressing thoughts about the memory, and a restored sense of calm and control in their daily lives.

Exercise Physiology

Stress and trauma often leave the body in a prolonged state of tension and hypervigilance.

Our trauma-informed exercise physiologist, Sarah, would help Ben reconnect with movement in a way that feels safe and achievable. This might involve gentle routines to regulate the nervous system and strategies to reduce physical tension.

Movement can be a powerful tool for grounding in the present, lifting mood and improving sleep quality.

Dietetics

During prolonged stress, many people experience fluctuations in appetite, energy, or gut health.

One of our dietitians would support Ben in nourishing his body in a way that stabilises energy levels and supports emotional wellbeing.

With up to 95% of serotonin produced in the gut, balanced nutrition plays a huge role in mood regulation. Small, sustainable changes can help clients feel more grounded and energised.

For someone like Ben, recovery isn’t just about reducing symptoms. It’s about restoring a sense of control and safety.

At Headway, our goal is not simply to help clients return to work; it’s to help them return to themselves. By addressing all the interconnected parts of wellbeing, we support clients’ healing as a whole.