Tagged With "wellness"

We are delighted that CAREgivers film is being used to promote public and professional awareness regarding the subject of vicarious trauma and staff wellness; AND we are now beginning to see early steps toward organizational change and the potential for new policies that can promote staff resilience. Several exciting things are happening: firstly, public television broadcasts and screenings of CAREgivers film around that country are opening up important conversations about staff exposures to...

By Jessica Dym Bartlett, Jessica Griffin, Dana Thomson, Child Trends, March 19, 2020 The following guidance, recommendations, and resources are provided by child trauma experts at Child Trends and the Child Trauma Training Center at the University of Massachusetts. The Center is housed at the University of Massachusetts with Child Trends as the lead evaluating agency, with funding from SAMHSA and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network and additional support from HRSA. While the Centers...

A year ago, I wrote this blog, urging a shift from focusing primarily on self-care as the antidote to vicarious trauma/secondary traumatic stress to a broader concept of creating cultures of staff wellness and resilience which includes self-care as well as changes in organizational practices, protocols and policy. It is gratifying to see visible progress toward that shift as illustrated by two recent articles. One from the Worcester Telegram about a proposed policy by the Massachusetts...

There are still spots available in this upcoming workshop in Boston: TIMBo for Compassionate Organizations Translating Trauma-Informed Values into ACTION Led by Suzanne Jones, creator of the TIMBo Method and innovator in building stress-responsive social networks . March 28, 2019 | 10am - 3pm The Non-Profit Center, 89 South Street, Boston MA Register Now $300 per person ** $250 Early Bird extended! Must register by 3/15/19 ** 4 CEUs for eligible professionals ($35 fee payable at event) The...

We at Alive and Well Communities wanted to take a moment to present some considerations for how our community responds to COVID-19, through the trauma lens. These suggestions assume that additional core institutions will close and/or must limit the ways they typically engage with community members. It is also assumed that a number of community members will have to self-quarantine and “shelter in place.” These suggestions are guided by the principles of trauma informed care: trustworthiness,...

Susan Traylor says “When they see the cross on the table, they know someone has died.” The ‘they’ she is talking about are the many folks experiencing homelessness in our small community of Tarpon Springs, Florida. A few weeks ago, the cross was on the table for Terry. I knew him by sight but never knew his name. I observed him over the past few years quite often in a state that makes most people not only uncomfortable, but anxious and fearful as he argued with someone only he could see. He...

The experience of trauma leads to or exacerbates mental illnesses, substance use, and physical health conditions, making it a vital component of any effective treatment plan. A trauma-informed care framework involves real-time strategies to promote staff and organizational wellness and equip organizations to retain their staff, reduce the number of critical incidents, and increase client engagement in their care. This white paper from Relias discusses the 5 key components in implementing and...

“It’s so important that we all speak up on mental health.”- Anne-Marie Mental health still remains a taboo in most parts of the world. People are afraid to talk about their struggles because they fear that they won’t be understood and will be ridiculed. As a result, they don’t speak about their struggles and suffer silently. But, now with the prevalence of the pandemic, the world has also witnessed a mental health crisis. People are speaking about the anxiety and depressive episodes...

Organizations, agencies, departments, businesses, and industries, the list goes on and on. They all seem to be struggling with employee retention, recruitment, and issues of burnout. If we were to take a peek into the organizational cultures of these organizations I'm wondering if we would find a culture that is thriving or surviving? Do they care for their employees through a human lens, or as just a number? Do they employ compassion or authority when managing employees? A trauma-informed...

Full implementation of a trauma-informed approach typically takes three years to accomplish, but many organizations are looking for more manageable solutions that require fewer resources. If you want to implement trauma-informed practices but aren’t ready for full implementation, here are some of the most important aspects of trauma sensitivity training that you can share with your team. Developing a One-Page Resource for Trauma Sensitivity Training Recently a colleague asked for my input on...

A safe and healthy workplace is the goal—but there is a concerning number of toxic workplaces out there. Is yours one of them? There’s a common dynamic where executive teams turn a blind eye to problems while those without power can see the glaring issues of a toxic workplace unfolding before their eyes. Today, we discuss nine common signs of a toxic workplace—and how to solve each issue with a trauma-informed approach. 1 High Turnover Rates Usually, when an employee leaves a job, it’s not...

Safety plans serve as a great resource for individuals to practice healthy coping skills and develop a sense of safety and security that can carry them through a crisis. Last week, we discussed the basics of creating your first personalized safety plan . Now, it’s time to discuss how an organizational safety plan can support your trauma-informed agency—and how to build one. If you work with an organization, sharing how to create an individual safety plan with your team members is a great...

There is a common trend where organizations acknowledge that we need change. They see the value in DEI work, and they genuinely want to embody social justice in their work. But nothing changes. If leaders value change and are ready to create change in their organizations, why are they still struggling to achieve equitable treatment, anti-racist working environments, and safety at work? One reason for this barrier is that while leaders are ready to create change at work , they skip over an...

Establishing safety at work is one of the most important aspects of creating a trauma-informed workplace, but creating safety is easier said than done. When we discuss trauma-informed beliefs, practices, and values, we often explore big-picture concepts and systems. While this is an essential piece of the work, sharing specific, actionable steps can often improve our understanding better than big-picture ideas can. Here are some concrete and relatively simple ways to create safety at work,...

If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these complex concepts up...

If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these complex concepts up...

PACEs Connection is excited to roll out our summer 2023 *CRC* curriculum dates. Members who complete the CRC will qualify for a fall 2023 fellowship program.