Overview

How do we stay well when bearing witness to suffering? What is the impact of hearing, seeing, and reading about trauma daily? Chronic exposure to difficult stories can lead to experiences of secondary traumatic stress and empathic strain (also known as compassion fatigue).

These occupational hazards are normal and common – particularly when working with people in crisis. This training explores the impact of empathic strain and secondary trauma exposure on the physical and emotional well-being of helping professionals and offers strategies to stay well.

Overview

Heavy workloads, intricate problems, and dwindling resources – these are challenges faced by today’s busy workplace. Despite this, our work requires us to be compassionate, focused, and creative. How do we think clearly and stay well in the face of exhaustion and depletion?

When experts discuss work-related stress, they often overlook an important contributing factor: plain old fatigue. This training provides strategies to manage the chronic “wear and tear” of working in a helping profession.

Overview

Working with people with complex needs can be challenging. We all aim to offer responsive, ethical, and compassionate care. However, this is only possible when we recognize the pervasive impact of trauma on well-being. How do we promote a culture of safety, collaboration, and empowerment in a complex workplace?

Working in a trauma-informed way ensures better outcomes and healthier staff. This training provides foundational knowledge about trauma-informed care including the prevalence, presentation, and impact of trauma.

Overview

What does it really mean to pause and reset? When working in complex workplaces, common “self-care” advice can be unhelpful and, at times, downright useless. How do we reset without that blissful three-hour break? How do we meaningfully recalibrate when working at the demanding pace that our professions often require?

Research in the field of traumatic stress suggests that self-awareness may be the key to preserving our ability to do this difficult work. This training provides simple, quick, and effective micro-skills to check-in and recalibrate throughout our day.

Overview

Many professions use the term “debriefing” to describe protocols used to respond in the aftermath of critical events. Yet, there is confusion about which practices are helpful and healthy – and which ones may lead to further harm. How do we support one another while protecting ourselves from traumatic content? How do we embed regular check-ins for mutual support?

This training provides best practice recommendations for processing the distressing elements of our work. It also provides guidance on establishing communities of support and debriefing processes that consider critical incidents as well as the cumulative impact of on-going trauma exposure – which, due to its subtle nature, can often be overlooked.

Overview

Many of us are drawn to this work by a desire to care for and help others. Our ability to extend empathy and compassion makes us great at our jobs – but what happens when we overextend this ability? When boundaries are poorly defined, too rigid, or completely absent, the consequences are felt by everyone – loved ones, team members, organizations, and the people we serve.

Research shows that healthy boundaries are a protective factor against the ill-effects of stressful work. This training provides strategies to set and maintain healthy boundaries.

Overview

How we help is just as important as what we do to help. Stress, grief, and past experiences have a powerful impact on a person’s ability to cope in the wake of traumatic events. When we have the skills to support others through a crisis, we can help to mitigate the lasting impacts of witnessing or experiencing trauma.

Psychological First Aid is an evidence-informed approach to providing emotional support to others. This training provides foundational skills in crisis support.

Overview

When working in a client-facing role, it is inevitable that we encounter frustrated, angry, or dissatisfied people. These interactions can range from uncomfortable to frightening. Without the skills and confidence to handle these situations, we run the risk of damaging our relationships with others and contributing to our own emotional exhaustion.

Verbal de-escalation is a set of practical skills that can lead to a safer, calmer workplace. This training provides foundational skills in de-escalating emotional and behavioural agitation.

Overview

In today’s world of work, three things are certain: there will be change; there will be stress; and these two factors will lead to conflict. Unattended conflict can have a disastrous effect on the well-being of teams and organizations. How do we bring our teams together in the face of shifting mandates, resource shortages, and other stressors?

Healthy conflict can be a source of growth, opportunity, and success. This training provides foundational skills in conflict resolution.

Overview

Full workdays, trauma exposure, and administrative roadblocks can leave us feeling drained and, at times, disillusioned. Yet, we may remember a time when we felt inspired and energized by our career choice. How do we recapture our sense of satisfaction and fulfilment? What can we learn from those in our fields who seem to stay well no matter the circumstance?

Research has shown that by engaging in career-sustaining behaviours, we can stay compassionate and present throughout our careers. This training provides strategies to incorporate these behaviours into our work and lives.

Overview

We are being asked to do more with less while navigating systems that are more complex than ever before. Sometimes, we are unable to provide the resources or support that an individual requires due to rules, policies, laws, or gaps in resources. As a result, our workplace can become fraught with unhappiness, frustration, and contempt.

Moral distress happens when we know the “right thing” to do – but we are unable to act on it. This training provides strategies and resources to recognize and address moral distress.

Overview

Post-traumatic growth describes the positive change that some people experience in the wake of trauma. However, post-traumatic growth is often misunderstood. When used incorrectly, this term can lead to harmful messages of shame and blame – particularly when others do not cope well after a crisis. How do we assist our teams through a difficult event with kindness and compassion?

This training explores post-traumatic growth from an individual and organizational perspective. It provides strategies to foster well-being in the wake of trauma.