Preventing Burnout and Psychological Injury
Safety Planning for Mental Health PractitionersPREREQUISITES:
No prerequisites. All therapeutic orientations are welcome.
ONLINE TRAINING
DELIVERED ON DEMAND
via Thinkific.com
DURATION: 3 hours
COST: $100 + GST
BOOK ONLINE
Who is this Workshop for?
Mental health practitioners who work with trauma and other challenging presentations who want to remain healthy in their work – that is to say all mental health practitioners!
Is there any Practicum?
Yes. This workshop involves private self-reflection on your stress levels and risk for burnout at work, including a self-assessment of your personal risks for mental illness and vicarious trauma, including doing a mental health assessment on yourself.
What will I learn?
Participants will:
- Learn a trauma informed approach to their mental practice that encourages proactive management of the risks of trauma on the job
- Learn about research on vicarious trauma, stress and burnout, and protective and risk factors for these common responses to mental health work
- Conduct a detailed assessment of their own risk and protective factors for vicarious traumatisation, including an assessment of current and historical risk and protective factors for developing trauma
- Develop a safety plan with specific strategies on a daily, weekly, monthly and yearly basis to mitigate risks of vicarious traumatisation and maintain focus on what is meaningful and positive in their work
Summary / Overview
Clinicians who work in mental health settings are at risk of developing vicarious trauma. In this practical workshop, Catherine describes research into vicarious trauma and its mitigation, and guides you to develop a detailed personal safety plan to manage these risks, giving you time to reflect on your personal situation, and providing trauma informed strategies from EMDR therapy and somatosensory psychotherapy, along with practical tips from Catherine’s own experience as a trauma therapist in private practice.
Detailed Content Summary
The workshop covers research and practice on vicarious trauma, including:
- Vicarious trauma defined, and research showing how all mental health workers are at risk of vicarious trauma
- Risk and protective factors for complex trauma
- Self-reflection on current workplace stress
- Trauma-Informed framework for clinician safety planning
- Workplace strategies for reducing vicarious traumatisation
- Work-Life Balance Strategies
- Time to Generate a Personal Safety Plan
Workshop Activities
Participants are asked to self-assess their current mental health. This information is private to the participant, and includes:
- Completing an Impact of Events Scale on their current most stressful workplace situation. NOTE that participants with a score greater than 29 (i.e. may meet criteria for PTSD) are advised to seek mental health support beyond this workshop.
- Completing the Adverse Childhood Experiences Scale for both Risk and Resilience Factors
- Taking a detailed mental health history, including medical, relationship, trauma and bereavement history, as well as current stressors and supports
During the workshop, participants are invited to take detailed notes and develop a personal self care plan incorporating aspects of the workshop, including:
- A detailed assessment of current stressors and supports
- Developing a Safety Plan for outside work supportive activities
- Developing a Safety Plan for within the workplace, including support strategies for:
- During sessions
- General Workplace Approaches
- Daily, Monthly and Yearly plans