Maayan Aviv, CEO, American Friends of NATAL, is a nonprofit leader with 15+ years of experience, driving impact in mental health treatment.
With 70% of U.S. adults having experienced some form of trauma at least once in their lives, the conversation around mental health is shifting. Rather than focusing solely on overcoming or “fixing” trauma, a new perspective—post-traumatic growth (PTG)—emphasizes learning to live alongside it.
I think this shift has significant implications for the workplace, where the way we talk about mental health has a direct influence. In fact, as leaders, we have the power to make our work environments play a crucial role in healing and offering structure, support and a sense of purpose.
As a big part of this, investing in mental health initiatives can be a smart financial decision. Companies that prioritize employee well-being see measurable benefits, including higher productivity, reduced absenteeism and lower turnover rates.
The Business Case For Mental Well-Being
At work, mental health isn’t something we talk about often, and when we do, conversations largely focus on avoidance rather than understanding. Instead of focusing on trying to fix our trauma, let’s accept and grow from it, learning to live alongside it.
Trauma may begin as a single occurrence, but it’s what happens afterward that becomes the focus of conversation over the long term. It’s about how we integrate the experience into our lives—not letting trauma confine us, but recognizing how it might transform us. Through post-traumatic growth, we can discover new strengths, perspectives and meanings that become part of our evolving identity as we move forward. This new lexicon and understanding also makes business sense.
A History Of Treating Trauma
Historically, treatment centered on the consequences of the trauma, relieving the symptoms of that trauma and eliminating distress.
While therapy and medication may have provided relief for some, they often fell short in driving long-term transformation. This is where post-traumatic growth (PTG) comes in.
Although the concept was originally developed in the mid-1990s, recent years have brought a more detailed model. This shift in thinking about trauma treatment emerged from a growing recognition that trauma, when approached with acceptance rather than a need to “fix” it, can lead to personal growth and positive psychological change.
What Is PTG?
PTG is a research-supported model that shows how trauma can lead to positive transformation. One book defines PTG as “positive psychological changes experienced as a result of the struggle with trauma or highly challenging situations.”
PTG has always been a part of trauma, even though the concept has only captured attention recently. Our internal and external narratives play critical roles in PTG. When we focus on the negative (i.e., a “poor me” attitude) rather than growing alongside our trauma, it’s impossible to move past it.
However, when we accept that something bad has happened and open ourselves up to the possibilities of what the future could hold for us, we create space for positive change. Importantly, we aren’t moving away from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and trying to stop it from happening. We need to learn to live with our trauma and accept it as part of our journey.
There are five key areas of PTG:
1. A greater appreciation of life.
2. Improved relationships.
3. A recognition of new possibilities in life.
4. Increased personal strength.
5. Spiritual or existential change.
How We Talk Impacts What We Do
Mental health experts are shifting their focus toward career reintegration, recognizing that work can be an important part of healing. This includes immediate career discussions and training following a trauma, such as a life-changing injury, to help individuals find meaningful roles that align with their capabilities.
It also means advocating for mental health to be treated as a disability in the workplace. We need to ensure that accommodations are made the same way as they are for physical disabilities. Additionally, leadership and human resources teams should be trained to recognize the symptoms of trauma. They need to understand its impact and create environments that allow employees to get back to work.
A New Vocabulary Makes ‘Cents’
As a part of investing in workplace mental health initiatives, career development plays a critical role in helping individuals who have experienced trauma regain confidence and reintegrate into the workforce. Through mentorship and career coaching, programs can help post-trauma individuals unlock their potential by offering guidance tailored to their strengths and aspirations. Especially in times of war and crisis, career mentors can also serve as a connection to therapeutic resources, ensuring that participants receive additional mental health support if post-traumatic symptoms emerge.
Research supports the benefits for both employees and companies as a whole:
• Productivity: The Harvard Business Review reported that for every $1 invested in mental health initiatives, up to $4 is returned to the economy.
• Absenteeism: Kaiser Permanente attributes 62% of missed work to mental health conditions, adding that half of full-time employees have left a position due to mental health reasons, while mentally distressed workers are 3.5 times more likely to also suffer from substance use disorders.
• Turnover rates: Companies that invest in mental health see a direct impact on employee retention. Research by Gallup indicates that organizations with highly engaged teams experience an 18% to 43% lower turnover rate.
Beyond PTG
Beyond this year, we’re going to have the vocabulary around mental health treatment continue to evolve. The language is adapting culturally as more nations around the world see PTG as a way to speak to ourselves and society.
Along with post-traumatic growth and career reintegration, we are starting to understand why “resilience” is a powerful new keyword. Of course, these concepts, like resilience and PTG, may need to be translated and adapted to native languages to ensure they resonate with local workforce populations.
By changing the words we use, we’re also understanding that people need to get back into the workforce. There’s been a big push for supporting people with physical disabilities; it’s time to start supporting invisible disabilities in the workplace as well.
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