THE DEVELOPMENT OF RESILIENCE IN THE FACE OF SECONDARY TRAUMA WITHIN OURSELVES AND OUR COMMUNITY
Andrew R. Laue, LCSW
Activate Resiliency
Missoula, Montana
SECONDARY TRAUMA: CUMULATIVE EFFECTS ON WORKERS
The impact of human service work on the humans who do the work has not been fully understood until recently. Formerly described as job stress or burnout, a more accurate understanding confirms that the largest predictor of the effectiveness of human service work has to do with the health, resiliency and effectiveness of the humans who do the work.
This same effectiveness becomes compromised when workers are exposed repeatedly or poignantly to the suffering and traumatic experiences of their clients. In order to effectively engage clients, workers must establish relationships of listening, aligning, and helping. Exposure to the horrific content of many of the crimes, incidents of traumatic abuse and neglect, and overwhelming human suffering are potentially traumatizing events.
It is often the most effective workers who are most deeply impacted by secondary trauma because they take the professional risk to come close to their client’s experiences in order to understand them more deeply. The mirror neuron system in the human brain that allows for empathy also conducts toxic trauma right into the physiology of workers.
THE TOOLBOX OF RESILIENCY
Due to the fact that secondary trauma impacts the entire brain and body structure of the worker, secondary trauma interventions target all of the zones that are impacted by the induced trauma. This includes increased awareness of the body and conscious body practices, the development of boundaries between personal and professional world and the self and the client, and the development of supportive group processes in the work environment.
We have organized these resources into a Toolbox of Resiliency. Resiliency is the goal of secondary trauma work. It is to recognize the essential traumatic nature of doing effective human service work and then to develop a set of individualized resources that allow workers to effectively be resilient in the face of this traumatic onslaught.
Training opportunities (Link to registration for the 3 training dates)
50 minutes Zoom Pro Training:
Consolidated psycho-education and experiential training.
Development of Resiliency Skills to address secondary trauma and compassion fatigue using Attachment Theory, Interpersonal neuro-biology, Trauma Theory, and Embodiment.
Concrete skills and strategies that can be used by the end of the training.
Occurs via Zoom to accommodate this time of COVID-19.
Limited to 6-10 participants.
Introductory training to the more involved training to occur in September 2020.
Level One Training: (Link to registration)
Dynamic Psycho-Educational and Experiential Training
Development of Resiliency Skills to address secondary trauma and compassion fatigue using Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neuro-Biology, Trauma Theory, and Embodiment.
We raise awareness that teach professionals to track secondary trauma in themselves and others.
Development of dual attention/awareness of our internal experiences along with client’s experience.
Track these experiences as a means to self-regulate and develop resiliency skills.
Experience and development of a ‘toolbox’ of strategies to enhance post-traumatic growth vs post traumatic stress.
Development of the connection and support from others as a resiliency skill vs the isolation of stereotypical ‘self care’.
These are half-day trainings that focus on both cognitive and experiential learning.
Level Two Training: (Link to registration for this training)
Team Leaders for Ongoing Secondary Trauma Processing and Resiliency
Educational and Experiential training to train Resiliency Leaders within the community.
These leaders will continue the process of providing ongoing Resiliency trainings and Consultation to various groups and organizations within the Lewis and Clark, Broadwater and Jefferson County Communities.
Incorporates the use of the elements of the Toolbox of Resiliency in the context of a responsive group setting that focuses on the building of awareness, trust and connection so professionals are able to identify their own vulnerability as a resiliency skill.
Development of the connection and support from others as a resiliency skill vs the isolation of stereotypical ‘self care.’
Level One training is a prerequisite