Secondary Traumatic Stress–Informed Supervision

Note: This rating scale is based on the NCTSN’s “Secondary Traumatic Stress Core Competencies for Trauma-Informed Support and Supervision: Cross-Disciplinary Version,”⁹ which includes several benchmarks for each of the four core competencies. As a result, the rating tool is significantly longer than other rating tools in the STS Blueprint. The items in the rating tool are grouped under the four competencies:

1. Knowledge of the signs, symptoms, and risk factors of STS and support options for team members.
2. Knowledge and ability to self-assess, monitor, and address their own STS.
3. Knowledge and ability to help team members safely share the emotional experience of working with people impacted by trauma.
4. Ability to support the resilience of team members, individually, and collectively.

This rating tool will ask you about practices that support STS-informed supervision. 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. Each question has the same three-point scale that you can use to assess your 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.”