Domain 4L-13 – STS Blueprint

As leader at your CAC, recognize how culture, race, identities, lived experiences, systemic oppression, and/or implicit bias may affect your own experiences of STS and how they impact others’ experiences of STS.
Be curious about differences and offer a safe space for all staff and acknowledge and address individual needs related to STS.
Acknowledge that there may be added stressors for staff who are taking on cultural expertise roles, such as providing consultation for peers about cultural norms due to their lived or educational expertise on these topics or acting as a translator on cases due to language expertise. Have ways to support staff in balancing workload and their levels of trauma exposure due to these additional roles.
Regularly assess your CAC in the areas of diversity, equity, and inclusion.

“Race Equity Cycle Pulse Check,” a free tool from Equity in the Center to help organizations assess their progress in racial equity work. The Pulse Check also provides recommendations and tools to help organizations to continue to progress and is ideal for those who have already begun work in this area versus an organization that is just beginning.
“The Washington Race Equity & Justice Initiative (REJI): Organizational Race Equity Toolkit” from JustLead Washington” is a downloadable toolkit and assessment to help organizations understand and incorporate race equity in their work.
“Moving a Racial Justice Agenda: Organizational Assessment: Are You Ready?” from the Western States Center’s Assessing Organizational Racism helps organizations determine their readiness to move a racial justice agenda forward. Assessment questions are grouped per the racial composition of your organization.

“How to Talk Effectively About Racism,” an info sheet developed for the “Race Inside and Outside of Therapy Room” workshop delivered by Dr. Ken Hardy at the Psychotherapy Network Symposium in 2015.
“Principles of an Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed Organization,” a fact sheet from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) that lists various actions organizations can take to transition to anti-racist and trauma informed in their efforts to improve access and equity when delivering services.
From the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the “Guidelines for Authentic Conversations About Race” is a two-page information sheet with suggestions about how to have productive and authentic conversation about race.

“Intersections of Secondary Traumatic Stress with Racism, Historical Trauma, and Other Systems of Oppression,” a recorded webinar from Southern Regional Children’s Advocacy Center. An expert panel discusses the impact racism, historical trauma, and other forms of oppression can impact direct service providers who have been experienced these as well as STS. Available through the NCAC Virtual Training Center. Access to webinar is free, but a login is required.

“The Psychology of Radical Healing,” article by Helen A. Neville, et. al. from Psychology Today. This article defines the term radical healing and how it differs from conventional healing and outlines strategies for people of color and indigenous people to nuture radical healing.
“Diversity Toolkit: A Guide to Discussing Identity, Power, and Privilege,” from the University of Southern California Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. This toolkit includes activities that you can do with staff and is designed to educate and build self-awareness particularly in environments where there may be a lack of productive discussion about diversity and the role of identity.

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?