313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
Jan 17, 2018
313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:• Identify common terms associated with trauma
relating to child welfare professionals;• Recognize traumatic stress as an occupational hazard
in the child welfare profession;• Identify the symptoms of traumatic stress;• Assess through self-reflection, the impact of both
traumatic stress and personal strengths on one’s personal and professional life; and
• Develop strategies to manage traumatic stress and promote resiliency.
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Agenda• Welcome and Introductions• What is Traumatic Stress?• The Symptoms of Traumatic Stress• The Impact of Traumatic Stress• Strategies for Managing Traumatic
Stress and Promoting Resiliency• Summary and Evaluations
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Quality Service Review Indicator 1a: Safety: Exposure to Threats of HarmDegree to which:• The child/youth is free of abuse, neglect, and
exploitation by others in his/her place of residence, school, and other daily settings.
• The child/youth’s parents and/or caregivers provide the attention, actions, and supports and possess the skills and knowledge necessary to protect the child/youth from known and potential threats of harm in the home, school, and other daily settings.
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Carrying Darisabel
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Yes, they are related.
Culture and Traumatic Stress
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
On the Other Hand, Burnout…
describes anyone whose health is suffering or whose outlook on life has turned negative because of the impact or overload of their work.
(Rothschild, B. 2006)
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
• Both conditions have similar roots. Both conditions involve the cumulative effects of stress. Both conditions elicit similar responses from affected employees.
• While trauma deals with exposure to clients’ trauma and our own trauma, burnout adds the daily stressors of functioning in the overall workplace.
Burnout and Secondary Trauma - What’s the Difference?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
• Our exposure to trauma occurs daily because of repeated exposure to trauma, suffering and tragedy.
• The effect is cumulative, like exposure to radiation.
• It creates discernable changes in the employees in their physical health, psychological health, and spiritual well being.
Traumatic Stress
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
• Maladaptive coping strategies or additional challenges that may arise as a result of being exposed to traumatic events
• May be adaptive in the short term but also have the potential to interfere with an independent long-term recovery
What are Secondary Adversities?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
True or False?
Social Work students report having experienced more traumatic events in early childhood than business students.
TRUE
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
When a caseworker displays signs of traumatic stress, it indicates it is time to seek out another line of work.
FALSE
True or False?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Caseworkers who have been exposed to traumatic stress are typically less effective caseworkers.
FALSE
True or False?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
About 55% of child welfare professionals have at least one core symptom cluster (group of symptoms) of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
Almost 16% of workers meet the criteria for PTSD.
(Bride, 2007).
Prevalence of Secondary Trauma in Our Work
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
What Impact Does Traumatic Stress Have on Us?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
What Impact Does Traumatic Stress Have on Our Agencies?
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Others that can be affected from our traumatic stress:
• Co-workers
• Our family
• Our friends
How Exposure to Trauma Affects Others
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Have you noticed the way I behave and appear to be different when I’m under pressure?
Do I seem to be acting that way increasingly more and more of the time?
What ways do you think my work is affecting me during the last week or year?
From your point of view, how is this behavior change affecting you or other people that I care about?
Assessing the Impact on Those that Support Us
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
The PROQOL Scale
Assessing Risk and Impact
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
A person’s ability to “bounce back” from hardship or a
difficult situation.
(ACS-NYU, Children’s Trauma Institute, 2011).
Resilience
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Change the external circumstances that are provoking stress and trauma reaction.
Change the internal approach or internal locus of control.
Search for Support.
Headington Institute, 2011
Strategies for Managing Trauma
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Managing Physical Responses to Trauma
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Managing Cognitive Responses to Trauma
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Completing Your Trauma-Informed Self-Care Plan
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Don’t Let Ideas Get Away!
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Questions and Answers
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313: Managing the Impact of Traumatic Stress on the Child Welfare Professional
The Pennsylvania Child Welfare Resource Center
Use Your Action Plan Often!
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