Burnout and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Early Warning Signs and Practical Prevention Tools

Overview

This activity-based training helps social workers recognize burnout and secondary traumatic stress early. Participants will learn key warning signs, clarify related concepts and practice realistic prevention strategies, including brief “micro-moments” of self-care. They will leave with a concise participant guide and tools they can apply immediately.

Learning Objectives

After attending this training, participants will be able to:

• Identify early signs of burnout and secondary traumatic stress in body, thought and behavior.
• Distinguish burnout from vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue using clear definitions.
• Apply at least one realistic, in-the-moment prevention strategy (for example, a “micro-moment” self-care tool) during the workday.