5 Tips for Trauma Advocates: Avoiding Burnout Presented by Meleny Thomas.

5 Tips for Trauma Advocates:

Avoiding Burnout

Presented by Meleny Thomas

Who is Meleny Thomas?

Let’s play a game…

Two Truths and a Lie- Which one do you think is a lie?

I am a published author with six books

I am an All But Dissertation (ABD) at Walden University

I love youth advocacy work

Goals For The Group

Quote of the day

“There are wounds that never show on the body that are deeper and more hurtful than anything

that bleeds.”

― Laurell K. Hamilton, Mistral's Kiss

Workshop Objectives

Participants will be able to:Share their personal experience in dealing with clients

experiencing traumaDefine and understand what burn out is Develop tools that they can implement easily andConnect with and learn from others

Rules For the Room

What happens in the room stays in the roomRespect everyoneMaintain a positive attitudeDon’t criticize, unless it is constructive criticism Unwind and enjoy yourself!

Breaking the Ice

Cross the Line Group Activity

Reflections…

How did that activity make you feel?

Exploring the “V” Word

“Inspiring Hope, Building-Resistance Through Trauma Informed Communities”

Victim or Victor, which do you prefer? How do you break the ice with your

clients/children/friends?

Defining the Terms

What is a victim?Victim is defined as “a person harmed, injured, or killed as a result

of a crime, accident, or other event or action.”

What is a victor?A Victor is “a person who defeats an enemy or opponent in a battle,

game, or other competition.”

Defining the Terms Continued…

Trauma

Trauma is defined as “a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.”

Vicarious Trauma

Vicarious trauma is the emotional residue of exposure that counselors have from working with people as they are hearing their trauma stories and become witnesses to the pain, fear, and terror that trauma survivors have endured. It is important not to confuse vicarious trauma with “burnout”.

Defining the Terms Continued

Burnout

“Burnout is a state of emotional, mental, and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest or motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place.”

Quote of the Day

“After all, when a stone is dropped into a pond, the water continues quivering even after the stone has sunk to the bottom.”

― Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

Trauma Advocates Tip #1

Set Clear Boundaries

• Be honest and be consistent

How do you set clear boundaries?

How do you want your clients to address you? Mr. or Mrs. _______ or just by your first name?

Communicate what your expectations and limitations are with clients and even co-workers.

Know how far you are willing to go or what you are willing to share.

Maintain a high level of professionalism

Do not feel guilty for not “giving in”

Trauma Advocates Tip #2

Designate a “Place” or “Person”

• Always have a place where you can go to reflect and regroup,

or someone that you can talk to.

Trauma Advocates Tip #3

Know your Triggers

• Be honest with yourself and others

Trauma Advocates Tip #4

Conduct Self- Evaluations

• Distribute Burnout Self- Quiz

Trauma Advocate Tip #5

Connect to a higher power

• Sometimes when faced with different situations, that higher access is needed. Utilize it!

References

Most definitions were found in Google Dictionary unless otherwise noted.

The definition of burnout was obtained from: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/preventing-burnout.htm

The definition of vicarious trauma was obtained from: http://www.counseling.org/docs/trauma-disaster/fact-sheet-9---vicarious-trauma.pdf

Resources

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides some tips for workers: http://www.nctsnet.org/sites/default/files/assets/pdfs/secondary_traumatic_tress.pdf

Therapeutic Aggression Control Techniques – (TACT2) – Trainings: http://www.tact2.com/

Aggression Replacement Training (ART)- http://aggressionreplacementtraining.com/

Questions and Evaluation

Connect with Me

Meleny Thomas

www.melenythomas.com

www.learning2overcome.com

E-mail: [email protected]

Phone: 443-773-2515

Thank You for Participating!