Wellbeing Series: Safe to Serve | Course 2: Before the Breaking Point

A colleague seems different. A pattern of changed behavior is emerging. A work concern needs attention, but the cause is uncertain. Prosecutors and supervisors must decide whether to check in, offer support, address a specific obligation, or seek additional assistance without turning an observation into a diagnosis.

Before the Breaking Point develops that judgment through realistic prosecution scenarios. Participants examine changes from baseline, distinguish observable facts from interpretations, and consider how burnout, grief, secondary traumatic stress, impairment, and substance-use concerns can be confused. The course emphasizes a proportionate workplace response that respects dignity, protects appropriate privacy, and fits the participant’s role.

What You Will Do in This Program

• Identify meaningful changes from someone's usual behavior or professional functioning. 
• Separate observation from assumption, interpretation, and diagnosis.
• Consider what additional information would help you choose an appropriate next step.
• Distinguish a supportive check-in from a conversation about a specific work concern.
• Choose actions that fit a colleague's or supervisor's responsibilities.
• Revise a response as the facts develop, including when a concern requires professional or urgent assistancew.