2006: Psychologist teaches businesses to stress less

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Tags: psychology, winter-2009

Rachel Hannam, PhD

Stressed families over the 2008 Christmas period were able to turn to psychology graduate Dr Rachel Hannam for advice.

Dr Rachel Hannam

The Assure Programs senior consultant ran “Survive Christmas!” seminars for staff at companies around Brisbane.

“When it comes to family tensions I always tell people to be realistic and anticipate conflict,” Dr Hannam said.

“It’s important to maintain a sense of humour and remember the spirit of Christmas.

“Research tells us that compassion and altruism are key predictors of happiness so it’s great if you can help out a co-worker or family member.

“My advice to people regarding money management is to be realistic, and to think about how much they can spend before deciding what they want to buy.”

The program was offered as a one-hour course and provided participants with straightforward, useful suggestions.

“Family conflict, loneliness, money worries and time management are all issues that tend to arise around this time of year and can contribute to stress,” she said.

Dr Hannam said Assure Programs was the Employee Assistance Provider for a number of large employers, including UQ, QUT and the Queensland Government.

However, her work extends beyond dispensing silly-season survival tips.

Dr Hannam also runs psychological resilience programs for staff who work in mortuaries and are exposed to graphic job content, and has created leadership and mentoring programs for the Royal Flying Doctors Service, Queensland Police Service and Crown Law.

“I enjoy the psychoeducation aspect of my job,” Dr Hannam said.

“People really seem interested to learn about themselves and each other, and often don’t get enough of this in their work.”

By Penny Robinson

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