A growing body of research has documented the detrimental effects of exposure to adversity and trauma early in development. Childhood abuse and other traumas have resulted in impairments in numerous developmental processes, including emotional regulation, attachment formation, and autobiographical memory development, which has been linked to the ability to form a coherent sense of self (Goodman, Quas, & Ogle, 2010). Not only are our clients impacted by traumatic events, but our helping professionals can experience vicarious and/or secondary trauma stress through their working relationships with these distressed individuals. This workshop explores trauma and its effects on helping professionals. By learning self-care strategies and utilizing them, helping professionals will be less likely to suffer from compassion fatigue and burnout as a result of working directly with people who have experienced traumatic events.
Topics Include:
- Exploring trauma and its related conditions such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Vicarious and Secondary trauma
- Understanding the relationship between trauma and suicide especially in rural areas
- Identifying the stress associated with work in human services to maintain high standards of care for clients
- Increasing knowledge about the impact on the professionals who engage and work with people who are suffering
- Uncovering new skills related to mindfulness and emotional regulation
- Recognizing the symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout
- Learning and applying self-care techniques