The continuing aftereffects of the COVID-19 Pandemic have presented the EA field with many complex challenges, including escalating levels of social unrest and violence that inevitably impact the workplace and its employees. The healthcare workplace, in particular, has experienced unusually high levels of workplace violence (WPV), thus compounding the psychological stressors that many health care workers already face. In addition, The Joint Commission (TJC) has recently implemented WPV standards which all healthcare organizations are mandated to meet. This has created new opportunities for EA practitioners to support organizational efforts to prioritize workplace violence prevention and intervention programs within healthcare settings.

This panel presentation reviewed the implications of workplace violence (WPV) on EA practice in healthcare organizations. The presentation was moderated by Dr. Bryan McNutt, who provided an overview of current WPV trends and statistics, as well as relevant models of organizationally based Threat Assessment and Management practices. The presentation’s panelists, Mark Berg and Dr. Dan Hughes, discussed how their embedded EAPs have responded to the complex crises of rising incidents of WPV within their respective healthcare settings. Each panelist provided a brief description of how their EA practices have adapted to the complex challenges of WPV trends within healthcare organizations. Learning Objectives: Discuss a brief review of current trends of WPV, specifically within healthcare settings. Explore the basic principles and concepts of the practice of Threat Assessment and Management, including an applicable understanding of the Pathway to Violence Model. Identify opportunities for EAPs to support organizational efforts of disrupting and responding to incidents of WPV. Explore relevant clinical approaches such as Psychological First Aid and Trauma Informed Counseling.