Compassion Fatigue: Secondary Traumatization and the Importance of Self-Care

This highly interactive training is designed to address the self-care needs of professionals working with children, youth and adults impacted by traumatic life events. This training integrates stress management techniques and strategies on and off of the work site without interrupting productivity. Direct care staff and management are encouraged to understand their vulnerabilities, and recognize their own and their colleagues’ warning signs of secondary and vicarious stress.

In addition, the training provides strategies for promoting a more secondary trauma-informed work environment and supporting the maintenance of professional and personal well-being in valued staff. These approaches can be applied to unique work settings to strategize appropriate opportunities to integrate self-care with work performance.

After attending this training, successful participants will be able to:

  • Recognize the potentially damaging professional and personal effects of secondary stress
  • Identify ways to be resilient in the face of overwhelming and emotionally intense demands
  • Identify new ways to support coworkers and increase morale
  • Demonstrate strategies for accelerated recovery and self-regulation
  • List multiple causes and triggers of CF and burnout
  • Recognize early warning signs of stress overload in yourself and others
  • Address the role of stress in relation to anger, emotions and behavior

This training is encouraged for line staff, supervisors and support staff in child welfare, children and family services, criminal justice, homeless shelter services, veteran’s services, mental health services, post-disaster services and faith-based organizations.

Course Code
407400