Karvee Pshorr Carrie Johnson Creating a Supportive Team Environment in Order to Avoid Burnout and Secondary Trauma Karvee Pshorr Carrie Johnson MN Coalition for the Homeless September 27th, 2017

Presenters Karvee Pshorr- Karvee Pshorr joined RESOURCE, Inc in 2015, as a direct housing case manager for the COHR (Collaboration of Housing Resources) working with single adults who has experience homelessness, mental health and or Chemical dependency. Prior to that, Karvee worked as a Health Educator at the Annex teen clinic with youth for 5 years. Since starting at RESOURCE, Inc., Karvee has become a Program Director for 6 housing programs. Karvee has a BS in Community Health and Psychology and 2 years of supervisory experience with large teams. Carrie Johnson- Carrie Johnson is a Program Director for housing programs and care coordination for Avivo (formerly known as RESOURCE, Inc). Her work has focused on ending homelessness for single adults and families in Hennepin and Ramsey County. For the last 3 years, Carrie and supervised over 9 programs and has worked to create team cohesion and integration across programs. Carrie is currently serving on the Employment/Housing Committee with Hennepin County and actively participates in Ending Homelessness meetings. Carrie holds her Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of St. Thomas/ St. Catherine University. Introductions Set the stage Introduce the room

Objectives Our story… 1. How to create healthy team dynamics with a large team 2. The importance of good team dynamics 3. The role a supervisor plays in team dynamics 4. Interventions to increase team dynamics

Setting the Stage Program trends: Meetings High turnover No support across different housing programs Feelings of isolation Different program expectations – caused diversion amongst programs Lack of communication Gossip Negative environment Meetings -conscious decision to turn it around -1:1 supervision and team meetings

Research Burnout - when you're not in control of how you carry out your job, when you're working toward goals that don't resonate with you, and when you lack social support. If you don't tailor your responsibilities to match your true calling, or at least take a break once in a while, you could face a mountain of mental and physical health problems. Breakdown of community; unfairness; work overload; insufficient reward, values conflict; and lack of control Secondary Trauma - is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. -Psychology Today

Priorities Relationships Self-care during the workday Team Change management structure

Action Relationships Lunch Buddies Pat on the Back Team lunches/outings Caught in the Act Encouraged staff activities Candy Memes and “You Made a Difference” posters

Action Self-care during the workday Encourage staff to use sick/vacation times Encourage staff to use two 15 minute breaks Staff meditation and yoga Encourage coloring during meetings Housing Retreat Impromptu outings (ice cream) with team

Action Team Housing Retreat Housing Potlucks Housing Quarterly Meeting Days on the Hill Operation Landlord

Action Change in management structure Went from 2 managers to 2 program directors and 4 managers. New ratio of 8:1. Decreased number of programs per manager Increased manager support – biweekly meetings and outings Management team operates as one. Candy Memes and “You Made a Difference” posters

Feedback Results of staff surveys: What changes have you noticed over the last year in regards to team dynamics? Of the options listed below, what so you think has been the most helpful in increasing team morale and team dynamics? What top 3 qualities are important in order for a team to be successful? Of the top 3 qualities you mentioned above, which ones do you notice with the current team On a scale from 105, 5 being very welcoming, how welcoming was the team when you first started? What do you like about the current team? How does the current team make you feel? Why is the team important? What can be done to keep the current team morale and dynamics

Results of the Feedback: Themes: Overall changes: Teams working together; Increase closeness Most helpful: Team lunches (14); retreat (12); potlucks (10); Homeless Day on the Hill (10) Qualities: Of 19 responses: 16 met all three qualities; 3 only 1 quality; and 3 only 2 qualities How does the team make you feel: Most responses: Supported; confident

The End Results: What we learned….. No turnover for the last 1.5 years More across team collaboration Job satisfaction increased Consistency Strong peer and management relationships More support What we learned….. You can over do it with activities You are never going to please everyone – Do what you think is best for the WHOLE team. It is harder than is sounds – Use peers to process Maybe create a committee – needed more staff involved. Ongoing process

Karvee Pshorr: 612-752-8290 Carrie Johnson: 612-752-8216 Questions??? Karvee Pshorr: 612-752-8290 Carrie Johnson: 612-752-8216