Secondary Trauma: Special Considerations for Parent Partners

Parent partners are in a unique position to assist clients in overcoming obstacles and challenges while drawing on their own life experiences. Today this work requires navigating complex systems, during a time of personal crisis, while at the same time being in service to those also in crisis. There are significant rewards parent partners receive through this work, but there are also costs.

Research shows that those who work in social services have a higher incidence of traumatic stress and burnout, compared to the general population, as a result of chronic exposure to human tragedy and suffering. Trauma is complex. It not only impacts individuals, but groups and organizations, too. Those who serve traumatized individuals must be aware of the many aspects of trauma in order to best manage it in themselves and others. Parent partners must contend with their own trauma histories, as well as those of their clients.

Cutting-edge neuroscience research affords us better understanding of the impact of primary and secondary trauma on human services professionals. The better we understand the process and impact of adversity and stress, the more we can promote and practice healing and recovery in ourselves and our clients.

CEUs

0.55

Section Number

244WIS611

Instruction Method

Online class

Section Notes

The format of this virtual training will be on Zoom. You will receive login information via email once your enrollment has been received.

ADA compliance
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is committed to assisting students with disabilities, including mobility, visual, hearing, communication and learning disabilities, to participate fully in our programs. Our website includes information on how students with disabilities can request reasonable accommodations to address their special needs: https://cpe.ucdavis.edu/student-services/disabilities. If you require special accommodations for promotional material, please call (530) 752-9726 or email resourcecenter@ucdavis.edu and we will be happy to assist you. UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education complies with all local, state and federal regulations including the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Customer Grievance
UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is committed to providing education, professional training and consultation services that are of the highest quality and consistent with the high standards of the University of California. UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education is fully committed to compliance with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be nondiscriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of students and other customers. Complaints about course content or instructors are best directed to the specific center within UC Davis Continuing and Professional Education which is offering the course. For more information, please call (530) 752-9726.

Enroll Now

Section Schedule

Thur., Jun 26th, 2025, 9:00am to 4:00pm

Fees

Instructors

Beth Cohen

Beth Cohen, Ph.D., is the administrator of the Organizational Mind Group PC, a professional consultative business focused on building individual and organizational health and well-being. Cohen utilizes her many years of expertise in organizational and individual well-being to assess needs, design interventions, develop programs and train leadership, management and staff in both private and public sectors. She is a professional threat assessor, primary and secondary trauma and violence prevention expert, national speaker and certified meditation instructor with postgraduate studies in organizational neuroscience. In addition, Cohen has an extensive background in human resources, occupational health, emergency response, and risk management. She works with health and human services organizations across the nation as a consultant, facilitator and trainer. She also designs and implements post-trauma responses after traumatic events including disasters, child deaths, mass murder and terrorism.

Roger De Leon

Roger De Leon is a minister, parent partner, trainer, and a child welfare consultant who utilizes his personal experience successfully navigating the child welfare and court systems to advocate for the safety and stability of children and families. As an independent contracting instructor for UC Davis, San Diego State University and UC Fresno, he develops and delivers state-mandated trainings throughout California focused on child welfare, fatherhood engagement and enhancing the skills of parent partners. A tireless advocate for children and families, he has positively influenced several statewide and national initiatives focused on child welfare and partnering with parents. In 2023, he received the Casey Family Programs Birth Father of the Year Award. Previously, De Leon was a parent partner with Riverside County. As one of the first parent partners hired, he dedicated more than 8 years to helping develop their program to support families along their journey toward reunification.