DOMAIN 4: SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS–INFORMED SUPERVISION
Item 1
Strategies for Supervisors:
- Watch and listen for the following signs of STS in staff, which may include:
- unwanted thoughts or reminders: nightmares, unwanted memories or flashbacks of client’s trauma experiences;
- avoidance of things or people that are reminders of the traumatic experiences of others: isolating from peers and supports, avoiding certain cases, not showing up to work;
- changes in thinking: having negative expectations, exaggerated blame of self or others;
- changes in emotions: feeling negative all the time, unable to experience positive emotions, feeling isolated; and
- changes in reactions: being irritable, jumpy, quick to anger, difficulty sleeping, trouble concentrating.
Implementation Resources:
Fact Sheets
- “Secondary Traumatic Stress: A Fact Sheet for Child-Serving Professionals,” from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN). The fact sheet provides an overview of STS, how STS appears in professionals, who is at risk, and strategies for prevention and intervention.
- “Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress for CAC Workers,” from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Child Welfare Collaborative Group. Targeted specifically to those who provide services to children, this fact sheet provides an overview of STS, how STS appears in professionals, who is at risk, and strategies for prevention and intervention.
- “Secondary Trauma and Child Welfare Staff: Guidance for Supervisors and Administrators,” from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN), Secondary Traumatic Stress Collaborative Group. Targeted to supervisors and administrators in the child welfare system, this fact sheet provides an overview of STS, how STS appears in professionals, who is at risk, and strategies for prevention and intervention.
Podcasts and Videos
- “Secondary Traumatic Stress” (8 minutes), from the Well@Work podcast series, produced by the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma & Children. Dr. Ginny Sprang provides information on the impacts of indirect trauma exposure on professionals providing direct services. She defines STS and recommends ways to mitigate the impacts.
Select Action Plan to begin to organize and implement next steps.