These webinars can be shared during team meetings or in-service training with time allowed for group discussion. They can also be assigned as part of professional development hours with follow-up discussion during supervision:

• “Secondary Traumatic Stress…What Is It?” is a 90-minute webinar from NCTSN that provides an overview of STS, tools for assessing STS, and strategies for addressing STS at the supervisor and staff levels. Staff can be assigned to watch the webinar together or individually with discussion questions to review during supervision or as a group.
• “Understanding Secondary Trauma and Strategies for Self-Care,” is a 50-minute webinar that provides definitions of STS and explores risk factors for STS, signs of STS, common responses to secondary trauma, and professional and organizational strategies to address STS. Available at no charge through the NCAC Virtual Training Center. Once logged in, search for webinar by title.
• “Secondary Trauma and Traumatic Stress” is part of a webinar series developed by The Innocent Justice Foundation, funded through OJJDP. This 90-minute webinar focuses on secondary trauma and traumatic stress, the effect it has on professionals, and the different factors that can compound the response to trauma.

• Well@Work podcast series, from the University of Kentucky Center on Trauma & Children, features eight-minute podcasts provide an introduction to STS that can be used to start a discussion about STS during orientation and/or team meetings or during individual supervision.
  • “Secondary Traumatic Stress” (8 minutes). This episode features a discussion of STS and what you can do to minimize its effects.
  • In Spanish: “Estrés Traumatico Secundario“

Example of a Comprehensive STS Training Curriculum

“Secondary Traumatic Stress: Understanding the Impact on Professionals in Trauma-Exposed Workplaces,” is an extensive training on STS that can be delivered as a 1-2 day training or in shorter training segments and is applicable to new and current staff. The curriculum covers three main topic areas:

• About STS (definitions of STS and related terms; why it is important to address STS; who is at risk; how STS intersects with culture, race, and historical trauma; and signs and symptoms of STS).
• Addressing STS at the Organizational Level (how organizations can contribute to STS among staff, identifying STS, individual and organizational assessments for STS, and organizational strategies for addressing STS).
• Individual STS (risk factors for STS; the impact of STS on individuals; and recommended strategies for individuals to address STS, including enhancing compassion satisfaction, building healthy support systems, reflective practice, and resilience building and wellness practices).

Included in this curriculum are several case vignettes and reflection and discussion activities. It includes a Facilitator Guide with tips on training preparation an implementation. Facilitators should have a good understanding of STS and solid experience as a trainer. Organizations that have a training department and/or a trainer with the above qualifications can download the materials and provide the training internally. Other agencies may need to bring in an external trainer to deliver this training. (Note that you must first create an account to access this curriculum.)