915: Taking Care of Yourself: Managing Your Exposure to Traumatic Stress 

Welcome to 915: Taking Care of Yourself: Managing Your Exposure to Traumatic Stress  Read Handout #2 (Setting the Foundation) Complete your name tent. Name (Center)d Agency (Top-Left Corner) Number of years at agency (Top-Left Corner) WIIFM (Bottom-Left Corner) One thing you do to take care of yourself (Bottom-Right Corner)

Identify the symptoms of traumatic stress; and Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: Recognize traumatic stress as an occupational hazard in the child welfare profession; Identify the symptoms of traumatic stress; and Explore strategies to manage traumatic stress and promote resiliency.

Welcome and Introduction Traumatic Stress: An Occupational Hazard The Symptoms of Traumatic Stress Strategies for Managing Traumatic Stress and Promoting Resiliency Summary and Evaluations Agenda

Characteristics of the Best Resource Parents

Caregivers Video How can empathy and engagement skills be a resource parent’s greatest assets and at the same time be great liabilities?

Unmanaged traumatic stress has detrimental effects on us, our agencies, and those that we love.

True or False? When a resource parent displays signs of traumatic stress, it indicates it is time to stop being a resource parent. FALSE

True or False? Resource parents who have been exposed to traumatic stress are typically less effective resource parents. FALSE

Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!

Prevalence of Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Work About 55% of child welfare professionals have at least one core symptom cluster (group of symptoms) of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Almost 16% of workers meet the criteria for PTSD. (Bride, 2007)

Which Symptoms Do I Have?

Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!

Resilience A person’s ability to “bounce back” from hardship or a difficult situation. (ACS-NYU, Children’s Trauma Institute, 2011).

Strategies for Managing Trauma Change environment (or the external circumstances that are provoking stress and trauma reaction) Change yourself (or internal locus of control)   Search for and accept support Headington Institute, 2011

Managing Physical Responses to Trauma

Managing Cognitive Responses to Trauma

Self-care Self-care is a skillful attitude that needs practice throughout the day. (Mahoney, 2003)

Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!

Identify the symptoms of traumatic stress; and Learning Objectives Participants will be able to: Recognize traumatic stress as an occupational hazard in the child welfare profession; Identify the symptoms of traumatic stress; and Explore strategies to manage traumatic stress and promote resiliency.

Questions and Answers

Create Your Action Plan and Use it Often!

Thank You!