After a traumatic event, a person does not always think about psychological help — and this is perfectly understandable. When someone has been hurt, witnessed a serious incident, or ended up in a hospital, they usually have entirely different things on their mind: treatment, their physical condition, paperwork, everyday matters, family, work. All of this needs to be dealt with right here and now, and the thought of reaching out to a psychologist may not even arise. As psychologist, expert at the Betobee platform, and psycho-educator Anastasia Bykova explained exclusively for Wave RBC.UA, in such a situation it is not the person who calls the psychologist first — it is the psychologist who calls the person.
Why the phrase 'I need help' may never be said
In everyday conversation we are used to telling our loved ones, colleagues, and friends: 'If anything comes up — let me know' or 'If you need help — just say so.' But after going through stress, a person may simply be unable to ask for help on their own. They may feel that things are heavy, that they are unwell, scared, or 'off,' yet remain fully focused on treatment, daily life, family, or other urgent matters. A person does not always manage to understand on their own that they need psychological help, find a specialist, book a consultation, and formulate their request. This is exactly where it matters to take a small step forward, show care, and prevent the development of severe psychological consequences.
What a 'callback' is and why it is needed
For such situations there is so-called callback — a proactive step of support, in which the company itself reaches out to psychologists with a request to contact an employee who has experienced a traumatic event: someone who was personally affected, who witnessed the incident, or who is receiving treatment in a hospital. The key word here is 'proactive.' A company may cover an employee's material or medical needs, but the psychological state after a traumatic event often does not even make it onto the agenda — and that does not mean the person is doing well. Therefore, at the company's request, the psychologist makes the phone call first: not to force the person into therapy, but to ask in a human way how they are, to support them in the moment, and to make it clear that if help is needed now or later, there is someone to turn to.
How the support system works after a traumatic event
The first psychological contact usually takes place right at the scene of the incident — primarily by crisis psychologists providing first psychological aid, and in some situations this function may be performed by doctors as well. Then some time passes: the person has had a chance to interact with their family, colleagues, and doctors, and to deal with treatment or other urgent matters. Only after that may the callback call take place. In other words, it is not necessarily a conversation immediately after the incident, and by the time of the call people may be at very different points in processing what happened: some are at home and gradually recovering from the experience, some are in a hospital, some are undergoing treatment, and the medication is having a calming effect.
Voluntariness and a sense of support
It is important to emphasize: a callback is a fully voluntary process, with no pushing or coercion. Even if a person is skeptical and has no intention of going to therapy, the phone call itself can already give them a sense of support. During the conversation they may receive support and keep a direct line of contact with the psychologist in case help is needed later. Sometimes the most important thing one can get from such a call is not an immediate solution to all problems, but a simple understanding: 'I am not alone with this.' This is an important step both for the employee, who sees that they are not alone, and for the company, which is demonstrating not formal but genuine care for its people.
