‘Addressing Trauma’ Workshop Series Begins February 5

Monday, February 5; From 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Click here to register
Monday, April 30; From 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Click here to register

Healthy Solutions to Managing Workplace Stress
Do you sometimes feel stressed out or overwhelmed because of the work you do? Your work can be challenging, and sometimes you may feel as though you are giving so much to others that you are neglecting your own physical, emotional, and mental health. Job stress can have far-reaching effects that when not managed can lead to burn-out, decreased productivity, physical and mental exhaustion and emotional distress.This workshop provides participants with tools to respond in healthy ways to the different levels of emotional distress that arise from the course of their day-to-day interactions. This is an opportunity for staff members of all levels to identify and discuss sources of stress in their workplace and learn healthy ways to cope with that stress.In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify common stress reactions and how they affect work performance
• Create a self-care assessment and plan to stay mentally, emotionally, and cognitively balanced
• Implement stress-reducing strategies and techniques

This workshop will be led by Cristina Harris and Lisa Furst.

Monday, February 26; From 1:00pm - 4:00pm - Click here to register

Essential Trauma Considerations for the Nonprofit Sector
Traumatic experiences and conditions, such as abuse, violence, poverty, and racism are prevalent in our society. For example, more than 2/3 of children report at least one traumatic event by age 16, and 26% of children in the United States will witness or experience a traumatic event before they turn 4. Traumatic experiences, especially when unrecognized and unaddressed, often lead to poor physical and emotional health challenges. What does this mean to nonprofit service providers? It means that, whether you realize it or not, you are working with people who have experienced trauma, which requires us to understand the impact of traumatic experience in our work.

This workshop uses interactive methods to provide participants with an understanding of brain development and the impact that trauma can have on mental, social, emotional, and physical health; the importance of recognizing behavior as a means of communication; and strategies to build relationships and programs that help trauma survivors to heal.

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• To understand the connection between brain development and trauma
• To gain insight into how past trauma can lead to ongoing challenging behaviors or symptoms
• To use the ‘learning cycle’ tool as a method of understanding the behavioral impact of trauma
• To apply trauma-informed principles in your daily work, in order to build healing relationships and programs

This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Speck.

Monday, March 19; From 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Click here to register

When Helping Hurts: Understanding Vicarious Trauma
Nonprofit organizations play a vital role in supporting people who have experienced traumatic events and conditions such as abuse, violence, and poverty. No matter your role in a nonprofit organization—direct client services, administration, maintenance, or management-- your work likely involves assisting people who have experienced trauma. Do you ever feel like it is taking a toll on you? Vicarious trauma, also known as compassion fatigue or secondary traumatic stress, is an on-the-job hazard for all nonprofit professionals. It can affect our feelings about the work, personal lives, and services to clients. So, how do you ensure that you are taking care of yourself when you feel the effects of vicarious trauma? How can organizations provide a supportive environment for coping with vicarious trauma?

This skill-building workshop will increase awareness of vicarious trauma and its signs and symptoms, introduce shared language on the impact of trauma, provide opportunity to connect with peers, and offer a framework for developing self-care and support plans to manage vicarious trauma.

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Describe vicarious trauma, who it can impact, and what it looks like
• Use shared language to discuss trauma and vicarious trauma
• Identify skills and tips to help manage vicarious trauma

This workshop will be led by Sherina Davis.

Thursday, March 29; From 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Click here to register

What Does a Trauma-Informed Program Look Like?
Social or human service programs in the nonprofit sector are spaces for people to achieve their goals and reach their potential. In order for this to happen, the people we serve need to feel SAFE, WELCOME, and KNOWN. Since trauma is so common in our society, it is crucial that all programs consider the impact of trauma and actively work to avoid re-traumatization.

This interactive workshop provides foundational understanding of trauma and its sources, while also highlighting the impacts that unrecognized trauma may have on those we serve, staff, programs, and communities. Participants will learn key indicators of trauma-informed programs and will review an assessment tool that will support making programmatic changes to meet the needs of people who may have experienced trauma.

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognize and respond to the impacts of trauma within the program environment
• Identify key domains and indicators for trauma-informed programming
• Reflect and assess areas for improvement within your programs

This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Speck.

Monday, April 2; From 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Click here to register

Weaving Vicarious Trauma into Supervisory Conversations
No matter your role within the your social or human service nonprofit, your professional and personal lives are impacted through your service to trauma survivors. Bringing this out into the open is a key strategy for developing trauma-informed programs and supporting staff wellness. But how can you, as a social or human services professional, start the discussion?

This workshop will explore how to “open the door” to discussing vicarious trauma, and allow staff to choose to walk through.

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify symptoms in staff who may be experiencing vicarious trauma
• Acquire the skills in order to have conversations with staff about vicarious trauma
• Provide staff with useful techniques and tools for managing vicarious trauma

This workshop will be led by Sherina Davis.

Thursday, April 12; From 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Click here to register

Understanding Immigration Stress and Trauma
Many of our organizations work with people who arrived to the U.S. as immigrants or refugees from other countries. While the circumstances and goals of every immigration story are unique, the experience of leaving one’s country and culture of origin is stressful even under the best of conditions. Furthermore, issues of documentation and citizenship can be complex and unpredictable, adding to stress and fear. When immigration is preceded or followed by traumatic experiences, including those based on one’s perceived or actual identity, immigration stress can become immigration trauma. How do we best understand the current dynamics of immigration so that we can better serve the people with whom we work?

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify unique stressors associated with immigration experiences
• Describe the differences between stress reactions that are expected and short-term, versus those which may have long-term impact on quality of life and require greater support
• Practice techniques for engagement with people who are immigrants and connect them to sources of clinical, psychosocial, economic, and legal support as needed

This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Speck.

Tuesday, April 24; From 1:00pm to 4:00pm - Click here to register

Staying in Balance While Helping Others
Have you ever worked with a client who has yelled at you, or insulted you, or has had reacted with you in ways that you didn’t expect? Some of the work we do in our nonprofit organizations includes working with people who are working to overcome significant difficulties in their lives, and who may be distrustful of professionals based on frustrating or harmful experiences with social service systems. We often do this work under difficult circumstances of our own, with limited budgets, less than adequate resources, and high workloads. The work we do is important, and often satisfying; however, there are times when it can be challenging to maintain our mental and emotional equilibrium in the face of the distress of others. How to we provide our best quality services and maintain quality personal lives, while simultaneously balancing our own responses to external and internal stressors?

In this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify the typical challenges of working with people undergoing major life stresses
• Apply the principles of good “customer service” under stressful working conditions
• Practice de-escalation techniques in order to allow collaborative work to continue
• Assist those who may be in need of connection to professional mental health services and supports

This workshop will be led by Elizabeth Speck.