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Taking Care of Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Colleagues: A Workshop on Preventing and Addressing Secondary Trauma

Taking Care of Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Colleagues: A Workshop on Preventing and Addressing Secondary Trauma. A n g e r Manipulation Denial M I n I m I z a t I o n Lack of Empathy Victim Blaming. Power. Control. What Causes Secondary Trauma?.

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Taking Care of Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Colleagues: A Workshop on Preventing and Addressing Secondary Trauma

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  1. Taking Care of Yourself, Your Staff, and Your Colleagues:A Workshop on Preventing and Addressing Secondary Trauma

  2. A n g e rManipulationDenialM I n I m I z a t I o nLack of EmpathyVictim Blaming Power Control

  3. What Causes Secondary Trauma? When sex offenders who are under supervision treat US as they treat their victims . . . in a manipulating, denying, and blaming fashion . . . WE may feel victimized and abused

  4. What Causes Secondary Trauma? • Dealing with sex offenders can distort our perceptions of normal behavior • Listening to sex offender disclosures is emotionally draining and extremely difficult

  5. What Causes Secondary Trauma? • Recognizing and firmly confronting an offender’s manipulation and abuse of power is part of our work • The use of our own “official” power sometimes violates our own sense of how people should be treated

  6. What Causes Secondary Trauma? • Working constantly with deceit and manipulation, and being a frequent target of it, can create within us a sense of distrust of others • Feeling responsible for community safety can be very burdensome and taxing

  7. What are the Signs of Secondary Trauma? • Feeling distrustful of others, both inside and outside our jobs • Feeling overly responsible for the safety of the community • Overusing our own coping skills • Feeling isolated

  8. What are the Signs of Secondary Trauma? • Denying our own needs in the face of “all the work that must be done to protect others” • Relationship problems

  9. MILD FORM Headaches Heartburn Gastrointestinal problems Skin rash/hives Lower immunity High blood pressure EXTREME FORM Migraines Gastric ulcers Colitis Eczema Heart attack Stroke Physical Symptoms of Prolonged Stress

  10. Stress Resistance PERSONAL CONTROL: • Improve problem-solving • Identify problem(s) • Develop & prioritize possible solution strategies • Implement one possible strategy • Evaluate proposed solutions

  11. Stress Resistance (cont’d) LIFE STYLE CHOICES: • Healthy diet • Regular exercise • Regular relaxation SENSE OF HUMOR • Have fun, laugh and joke but be careful about “morgue” humor

  12. Stress Resistance (cont’d) DEVELOPING & MAINTAINING CARING ATTACHMENTS REALISTIC GOAL SETTING MAINTAINING PURPOSEFUL MEANING IN LIFE

  13. Burnout . . . “Burnout is the physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion caused by long-term involvement in emotionally-demanding situations and prolonged stress.” —Pines & Aronson (1988) RELENTLESS RESPONSIBILITY

  14. BURN-OUT SELF TEST

  15. Burnout Self-Test 20-40: No indication of burnout potential (but if less than 30, not being challenged) 41-50: Have good balance 51-60: Got some warning signs 61-70: Mild burnout; probably developing physical symptoms 71-80:BURNOUT !!!

  16. Burnout Warning Signs • Depression • Feelings of inadequacy or incompetence; self-critical • Cynicism and pessimism • Loss of compassion • Discouragement • Chronic fatigue • Irritability and inflexibility

  17. Combination of Factors • Nature of work • Nature of the offenders and crimes worked with • Cumulative exposure to case facts • Organizational context of work • Social and cultural context of work

  18. Personal Contributing Factors • Unrealistic professional expectations • Personal history of trauma • Current stressful personal life • Personal coping strategies that don’t help and carry heavy costs • Unfounded belief about the value of stoicism at work

  19. How Are We Affected? • Everyday our jobs force us to see the human potential for cruelty • We experience strong reactions of grief, rage, and outrage • Reactions grow as we repeatedly hear about & see people’s pain & loss • Begin to alternately experience over-whelming feelings & numb ourselves to get through the day

  20. Secondary Trauma:Basic Elements • Not traumatized directly • Suffer gradual increase of exposure • Second-hand exposure (multiplied crime after crime, case after case) can be traumatizing • Parallels experience of PTSD • Can potentially reduce effectiveness & shortentenure

  21. Warning Signs • Generalized anxiety & depression • Sleep disruptions / nightmares • Intrusive imagery / thoughts • Dissociation / depersonalization

  22. Most Common Methods Used to Reduce Anxiety & Depression • Eating • Drinking • Medicating (legal and illegal) • Smoking • Sleeping • Exercise or frantic activity • Withdrawal

  23. Trauma Resilient Agencies How can we create agencies that are more supportive and trauma-resilient?

  24. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Provide agency support for professionals who work with this population • Provide sex offender specific training for professionals who work with this population

  25. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Train management staff to understand the dynamics of sex offending behavior and issues associated with secondary trauma

  26. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Establish and maintain clear boundaries and expectations regarding issues of power • Provide a safe forum for professionals to discuss all aspects of sexual assault and sex offender management

  27. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Create an environment in which staff members are not afraid to laugh • Send a clear message that an offender’s failure is NOT the officer’s failure

  28. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Stay aware of changes in the field • Provide a safe forum for professionals to air differences and resolve conflicts

  29. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Be flexible in assigning officers to supervise sex offender caseloads

  30. How Can the Effects of Secondary Trauma be Mitigated (by the agency)? • Create a collaborative process so that decisions are team-based • Maintain clear work boundaries and policies

  31. Trauma ResilientEmployees What Can We Do As Individuals?

  32. ABCs of Addressing Secondary Trauma:Awareness • Be self aware; know your own trauma map • Take care of yourself • Create a self-care list and post it prominently in your home or office • Inventory your current lifestyle choices & make necessary changes

  33. Sample Self-Care List • Be creative • Get “away” • Get outside, appreciate the weather • Enjoy other environments • Have fun • Socialize

  34. ABCs of Addressing Secondary Trauma:Balance • Give self permission to fully experience emotional reactions • Maintain clear work boundaries • Set realistic goals for self • Seek out new leisure activity (non-job related)

  35. ABCs of Addressing Secondary Trauma:Connection • Listen to feedback from colleagues, friends & family members • Avoid professional isolation • Remember your spiritual side • Develop support systems

  36. Don’t wait until you are suffering fromsecondary trauma or burnoutto start taking care of yourself ! CELEBRATE LIFE and take care of yourself!

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