Chronic Occupational Stress: Psychotherapeutic Treatment Approaches

Abstract

Mental illness is a central risk factor for occupational incapacity and premature retirement. One of the contributors for mental illness as well as somatic diseases is chronic stress at work. Therefore, it is essential for affected individuals to get professional help in order to identify and ease mental stress at work as well as to regain their working ability and prevent relapses. Job-related stress models facilitate the identification of health-relevant stress factors on an individual and organizational level. This enables therapists to use job-related treatment approaches. These should comprise the following elements: motivational support, cognitive coping strategies, provision of knowledge and exercises for the competence to act and strategies for recovery, and social counseling. Promising results in the growing field of internet-based occupational e-mental health allow us to expect good effects in prevention and psychotherapeutic treatment of occupational stress.