Rating Tool

This rating tool will ask you about practices that support staff resilience and well-being. This is an opportunity to reflect on your organization and its current practices. For each item in the rating tool, select to what extent your organization implements that practice. The majority of items have the same three-point scale that you can use to assess your level of implementation: (1) not at all, (2) somewhat, (3) very much. Here are some general guidelines on how to select the best response:

Not at all: You should select “not at all” if you are not currently implementing the practice. In some cases, you may have thought about or discussed implementing it; you should select “not at all” if you have not started to implement it yet. In other cases, you may have done it in the past; you should select “not at all” if you are not currently implementing the practice.
Somewhat: You should select “somewhat” if you sometimes implement the practice or if it is only implemented with some staff, but not all. If you partially implement it, you should also select “somewhat.”
Very much: You should select “very much” if your organization has fully implemented the practice. If your organization has mostly implemented it or has implemented it with most staff, you should select “very much.”

Note that there are a few items in this rating tool that don’t use the three-point scale but instead ask for a “yes” or “no” response. In terms of assessing your organization on a particular practice, a “yes” response suggests that your organization fully implements this practice, while a “no” response indicates that your organization doesn’t implement this practice or it doesn’t apply to your organization.

Step 1 of 14

1. To what extent do leaders regularly acknowledge the risks of trauma work and talk about STS with staff?

Explanation

Leaders focus on helping staff see that STS is an occupational hazard not a sign that there is something wrong with them or that they are incapable of doing the work. Leaders do this in ways that make their support of staff’s well-being and mental health front and center.
Leaders have an awareness of how what they say and do impact how staff view doing trauma-exposed work.
Leaders’ acknowledgment of STS is critical to creating a culture where staff are able to be open and address the impacts of the work.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

2. To what extent do leaders practice self-compassion?

Explanation

Leaders who practice self-compassion are aware and kind to themselves during a difficult time or when they have made a mistake and avoid being too self-critical. They remind themselves that they are human and are allowed to react and have feelings just like everyone else.
Self-compassion is an important step in being compassionate towards others and leaders serve as important role models in creating a compassionate culture.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

3. To what extent do leaders practice compassion toward team members?

Explanation

Compassionate leadership means leading with a focus on relationships through listening, understanding, empathizing, and supporting team members and enabling them to feel valued, respected, and cared for.
Compassionate leadership allows team members to reach their full potential and do their best work.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

4. To what extent do leaders seek to increase their knowledge of STS?

Explanation

Leaders need to be empowered and equipped with sustainable tools and strategies to address their own STS.
Leaders should stay up to date on how to support their staff in addressing STS.
Leaders must play a proactive role in providing their staff with empathetic guidance and strategic resources that will motivate and help them thrive.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

5. To what extent do leaders regularly assess their own secondary traumatic stress and how it might be impacting their well-being and functioning?

Explanation

Leaders should engage in daily reflective practice (checking in with themselves) to monitor their stress level and well-being (e.g., physical health, emotional well-being, quality of sleep, satisfaction with work) and/or using formal assessments (e.g., Secondary Traumatic Stress Scale, Professional Quality of Life Scale) to monitor their own level of STS.
It is important that leaders have awareness of how they are being impacted by the trauma work of the organization and that they model to staff how to cope in healthy ways.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

6. To what extent do leaders practice and serve as a role model for monitoring their own STS, and healthy coping in the workplace?

Explanation

Leaders regularly take time off, take breaks during the day, and engage in healthy coping strategies throughout the day.
Staff will take cues from how leadership monitors their own STS and copes with its impact as to how they themselves should do this as well as to understand the organizational support for addressing STS.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

7. To what extent do leaders regularly seek peer support or consultation?

Explanation

This may be support within the organization or with leaders of other CACs or similar organizations and can be informal or formal ways of getting support.
Peer support and consultation allow leaders to get their own support when they are personally impacted. It also provides opportunities to learn new ideas about how others in similar roles are supporting staff around STS.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

8. To what extent do staff feel safe expressing their concerns with leadership without fear of retribution?

Explanation

Leaders create psychological safety in the workplace that allows staff to feel comfortable talking about their concerns and the impacts of the work and expressing their opinions without fear of judgment.
Empowering staff to share concerns allows for leaders to address these concerns proactively or at least before they become more of a challenge.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

9. To what extent do leaders regularly seek input from staff on how the organization can support them in dealing with STS?

Explanation

Leaders take the time to understand the challenges faced by staff across the organization by hearing from them directly and observing the reality of their day-to-day work. Leaders regularly ask staff for feedback on existing organizational supports and what additional supports would be helpful.
Getting feedback from staff provides leadership with information that helps ensure that the supports in place for STS are meeting the needs of staff.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

10. To what extent do leaders provide visible support to team members?

Explanation

Leaders regularly interact with staff and are available to staff as much as possible. Leaders openly acknowledge the occupational hazards and the positive work being done by staff and provide appropriate and effective recognition for staff.
This is a key component to help create a culture where staff feel supported and heard.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

11. To what extent do leaders ensure that the organization has up-to-date information on resources and tools that will help them thrive?

Explanation

Leaders regularly do a thorough needs assessment of workplace supports for staff health and well-being and update these supports with input from staff to ensure that they meet their needs.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

12. To what extent do leaders regularly review policies to ensure that they are STS informed?

Explanation

The review of policies applies to all policies to be sure that they do not inadvertently exacerbate secondary trauma. It also refers to reviewing whether there are STS-specific policies in place to address the impacts of STS.
This should be done initially to review all existing policies, and then there should be a process in place to review new policies as they are established.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

13. To what extent do leaders address the ways that culture, race, gender, other identities, lived experiences, systemic oppression, and implicit bias can impact an individual’s experiences of STS?

Explanation

Leaders regularly assess their organization on diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Leaders recognize how culture, race, identities, lived experiences, systemic oppression, and/or implicit bias may affect the leader’s own experiences of STS and how it impacts others’ experiences of STS.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

14. To what extent does the board of directors and/or umbrella organization understand the importance of addressing the impacts of STS at an organizational level?

Explanation

Leaders regularly share information about STS with either their board of directors, or the larger organization/system that they are a part of (such as government entities, hospitals, etc.).
This is critical to ensuring that there is support for the organizational strategies to address STS.

Not at all

Somewhat

Very much

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Secondary Traumatic Stress–Informed Leadership

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