DOMAIN 5: SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS–INFORMED TRAINING
Item 4
Strategies:
- Be sure to include training on STS as part of the orientation and onboarding processes when new staff is hired. Research has shown that those in their first years in the workforce are at the highest risk for being impacted by STS.1, 4
- Including STS training into the orientation and onboarding processes raises awareness of this topic for new staff in addition to giving them opportunities to build the skills they will need to address the impact. Intervening early and having the skills to address STS may prevent functional impairment for staff in the future.
- Provide information on the supports available to new staff that can help them address STS on an ongoing basis and reduce stigma related to STS and seeking support for challenges related to STS.
- Ensure that new staff are provided with basic STS training, as described in Strategy 5.
- The fact sheets on STS listed below can be included in a welcome packet for new staff and reviewed during orientation and/or individual or group supervision.
- Include in new staff training information on organizational culture related to STS. Examples include:
- Encouragement to take breaks and engage in micro-practices during the day
- Encouragement to take time off
- Discussion about policies specific to STS as well as the use of an STS lens in creation of all policies
- Acknowledging the impacts and addressing concerns about stigma of asking for help
Implementation Resources:
Fact Sheets
- “Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress for CAC Workers,” a fact sheet from NCTSN that offers basic information on STS for those who work at CACs.
- “Secondary Traumatic Stress: A Fact Sheet for Child-Serving Professionals,” a fact sheet from NCTSN provides information on how professionals can experience STS, understand their risks, how to identify it, and strategies for prevention.
Publications
- Investing in You was created by the Children’s Advocacy Centers of North Dakota and is given to all new staff. It includes information about STS, the agency’s EAP program, low-impact debriefing for peer-to-peer support, leave policies promoting work-life balance, health insurance, training and professional development, a new employee profile, and reflection questions.
Websites, Apps, and Posts
- “Strategies to Remain Healthy and Compassionate,” a webpage created by the Dakota Children’s Advocacy Center that includes downloadable posters of coping strategies.
Strategies:
- Include in new staff training information on existing internal organizational supports for mitigating STS. Examples include:
- Supervision
- Peer support
- Low impact debriefing is a practice that professionals can use to seek support from peers through a “debriefing” process that can be effective but doesn’t also expose peers to additional trauma.
Implementation Resources:
Fact Sheets
- “Low Impact Debriefing,” a two-page sheet from Tend Academy that outlines the steps that staff can follow to de-brief with a colleague after a particularly difficult case or situation in a positive way without “sliming” them.
Strategies:
- Disseminate information to staff on available external supports to alleviate the symptoms of STS, including information on
- the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and
- mental health coverage.
Select Action Plan to begin to organize and implement next steps.