Change is with us every day.

  Change often introduces stress.

  Stress affects our ability to perform.

  All change does not produced equal levels of stress.

  It is the stress connected to change the impacts on our abilities to adapt.

  It is very important for us to help our staff to handle a process stress in the workplace because stress has cumulative properties.

  If the overall stress levels we live under our low, then our ability to handle the stress tends to be greater.

  If the overall stress levels we lived under our high, their ability to handle the stress tends to diminish.

  At certain high levels of stress, we tend to lose our ability to function effectively and to adapt to ongoing change.

   Individual stress levels will vary from  person to person.

   Some of this relates to personality.

   Some of this relates to the pre-existing cumulative stress levels of different individuals.

   Some of this also comes from perspective. 

   When we are an environment of significant change, we take on to view all change as a threat.

   This is a very dangerous condition for both the individuals working in such an environment and for the organization.

   Some changes internal to us.

   These are the changes we decide to make our own.

   We exercise a much higher level freedom in the selection of these internal changes.

   Their important vital accounting often lead us toward self actualization.

   These internal changes are not, however, the subject of this presentation.

   We will, instead, focus on exploring those changes that are pushed upon us from external sources.

   There are three levels of external changes that are important to us: situational change, first order change and second order change.

   These three levels of external change increase progressively in their capacity to cause stress and introduced threat.

   Situational changes are temporary: it goes away in time.

   If we are asked offers services out of the subdivided conference room while our offices being painted, we are experiencing situational change.

   We suffer the inconvenience and then we resume are normal routines.

   If we get our staff advance notice of the situational change and execute it with respect and dignity, they will usually be willing to suffer a reasonable inconvenience.

   A FIRST ORDER change is not temporary.

   It is a change that requires that we adjuster retains a permanent basis.

   It does not require that we develop new skills in order to successfully adapt to it.

   If we have always offered or services out of one location and we are now asked to our for the same services out of two or three different locations, we are experiencing a FIRST ORDER CHANGE.

   This change requires that we adjust their image of where we work, but not what we do.

   If staff are involved in advance of the implementation of the FIRST ORDER CHANGE, if they understand the reasons that necessitated the change and if they have been given a genuine role in working out the implementation plan for the change, they will usually develop the WILL to except the change.

   A SECOND ORDER CHANGE is not temporary and is not merely an adjustment.

   It represents a true paradigm shift that requires the development of new skills in order for the staff member to be successful in discharging their work responsibilities.

   If we have traditionally offered long-term, individual therapy from an office setting and we are asked to do MULTIPLE TASKING, to run groups, offer solution-focused therapy and offer some in-home services, we are experiencing a second order change.

   This is not a temporary change in the fundamental nature of the change requires more than an adjustment.

   Even if staff are involved in advance of the implementation of a   SECOND ORDER CHANGE and even if the staff understand reasons and feel they have been given a genuine role in working out the implementation plan for the change, they may feel sufficiently threatened that they may not be able to develop the WILL to accept the change.

   Even if they're able to develop the WILL to accept change, they will not be able to fully implement a second order change until they have develop the skills that will enable them to successfully perform their new responsibilities.

   Second order changes represent the highest level of stress and threat.