DOMAIN 4: SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS–INFORMED SUPERVISION

Item 14

To what extent do supervisors work to enhance individual psychological safety when meeting with staff?

Strategies for Supervisors:

• Trauma exposure can threaten staff’s ability to feel safe, so it is important for supervisors to enact strategies to enhance individual psychological safety during meetings such as
  • ensure physical safety;
  • be aware of potential threats to individual psychological safety (e.g., trauma reminders or discrimination);
  • pay attention to group dynamics and safety in group meetings;
  • hold consistent and predictable meetings, related to both schedule and content;
  • minimize distractions and multitasking;
  • accept staff members non-judgmentally;
  • make decisions with your staff members instead of mandating next steps when possible;
  • acknowledge your mistakes;
  • model curiosity by asking questions about staff members’ experiences and reactions; and
    make time for debriefing and a calming activity when emotions are high.

Select Action Plan to begin to organize and implement next steps.