Strategies – STS Blueprint

To what extent are supervisors able to recognize the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of STS and its impact on staff?
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To what extent do supervisors know what agency resources and supports (formal and informal) are available to staff?
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To what extent do supervisors know what community or other external resources are available to staff?
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To what extent do supervisors know how to help staff struggling with STS to access support services?
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To what extent do supervisors encourage staff to make consistent use of services and supports in a non-judgmental way?
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To what extent do supervisors regularly advocate to change policies and practices that may contribute to or intensify STS reactions, such as work conditions, caseloads, on-call expectations, policies/norms around leave time, and inadequate resources?
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To what extent are supervisors able to identify how culture, race, gender, other identities, lived experiences, systemic oppression, and implicit bias may impact how STS affects individuals and organizations?
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To what extent do supervisors recognize how culture, race, identities, lived experiences, systemic oppression, and/or implicit bias may affect the supervisor’s own experiences of STS and their supervisory relationships and practice?
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To what extent do supervisors regularly assess (formally and informally) how STS may be affecting their own functioning?
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To what extent do supervisors regularly practice strategies to address STS?
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To what extent do supervisors actively seek support from peers, their own supervisor, and/or other professional supports?
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To what extent do supervisors promote opportunities for staff to participate in healthy coping activities with them when possible?
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To what extent do supervisors regularly model and engage in adaptive coping strategies at work?
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To what extent do supervisors work to enhance individual psychological safety when meeting with staff?
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To what extent do supervisors use active listening skills to help understand and validate staff members’ experiences?
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To what extent do supervisors identify and build on staff members’ strengths to help increase their self-awareness, competence, and resilience?
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To what extent do supervisors discuss and normalize common emotional responses to working with people impacted by trauma?
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To what extent do supervisors provide consistent emotional support to staff, considering their individual needs, histories, identities, and experience?
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To what extent do supervisors notice and encourage staff members to use a trauma-informed approach?
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To what extent do supervisors identify and develop staff members’ strengths and help apply those strengths to job-related activities?
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To what extent do supervisors promote resilience by encouraging staff to practice adaptive coping strategies on a regular basis?
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To what extent do supervisors offer opportunities for staff members to connect with their team and other professional supports?
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To what extent do supervisors promote compassion satisfaction by helping staff members recognize successes and the positive impact of their work?
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Secondary Traumatic Stress–Informed Supervision

Strategies and Implementation Resources

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