Sample Strategies to Enhance Employee Support and Engagement

Description: This resource from Rose Brooks Center (the largest domestic violence agency in Missouri, USA) is a sample of key practices in 10 areas used to "engage staff, build strength, collective resilience, and at the same time improve services for survivors" (pg. 1). 

The headings for the key practices are as follows:

    1- Hiring process
        Organised and thoughtful hiring process
        Staff onboarding and new hire training
    2- Staff/employee performance evaluation
    3- Support to address trauma exposure (secondary trauma)
        Staff wellness
        Organisational response to vicarious trauma
        Flexibility/work-life balance
    4- Compensation
        Salary
        Leave time
        Benefits
    5- Staff development
        Meaningful and challenging development plans
        Training
    6- Leadership strategies
        Integrate staff retention into agency policy, formal practices, and resource development
        Staff involvement and feedback to inform staff retention strategies
        Leadership conducts annual evaluation of factors impacting staff retention, quality of services, and sustained agency operations
    7- Workplace environment and culture
        Space
        Employee feedback/input
    8- Communication
        Management transparency
    9- Organisation staff meetings
    10- Clear mission and values
        Sense of purpose in the workplace

What's the evidence base for this resource: This resource is a sample of Rose Brooks Center's policies and procedures, and does not provide any evidence itself. However, the agency is recognised by accrediting bodies as adhering to best practice standards and has won awards for its services.


Potential uses and limitations: This resource is a useful high-level map of organisational strategies to enhance employee support/engagement and address vicarious trauma. It does not provide detailed guidance for any particular issue, but may serve as inspiration or generate ideas on organisational and workplace strategies.


Where it comes from: This resource was presented as a handout within the webinar 'Strategies to Enhance Employee Resilience and Engagement within Survivor-Serving Organizations' hosted by Futures Without Violence in May 2020. Rose Brooks Center's Chief Operating Officer was one of three presenters in the webinar.

Rose Brooks Center is the largest domestic violence agency in the American state of Missouri. The agency has 100 employees and reaches approximately 15,000 individuals annually.


Strategies to Enhance Employee Resilience and Engagement within Survivor-Serving Organizations

Description: This 1.5 hour-long American webinar (transcript included) from May 2020 features representatives from three organisations who share strategies that they use to increase employee engagement, mitigate burnout, build strength and collective resilience, and improve services for survivors. The facilitators also discussed strategies their organisations use to help staff adapt during COVID-19. 

"After this webinar, participants will be better able to:

Strategies shared by the panellists and webinar participants include, but are not limited to:


What's the evidence base for this resource: This resource primarily draws on the practice experience of the panellists. 


Potential uses and limitations: This webinar is aimed at Executive Directors, Program Directors/Managers/Coordinators, Supervisors, and Team Leaders. There is particular emphasis on how employees are coping during COVID-19, with many staff members working from home. While the webinar is framed as being about "staff retention", there is a focus on reducing or mitigating burnout, which is related to vicarious trauma.


Where it comes from: This webinar was facilitated by Jennifer White and Monica Arenas from Futures Without Violence, supported by a grant awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women within the U.S. Department of Justice.



Advocacy Education and Support Project: Advocates with a personal history of violence or trauma

Description: This resource, hosted on the site of the US VTT, is a detailed outline of an 8-session curriculum for peer support among staff in trauma work who have personally experienced violence or trauma. Alongside education around Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS; another term for vicarious trauma), this resource provides self-care and organisational strategies for workers, and includes clear activities in handouts. 

The curriculum is divided into eight sessions, as follows:

  1. Introductions
  2. Defining terms, Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS)
  3. Impact and Strategies
  4. Professional identity and professional boundaries
  5. Consultation
  6. Consultation
  7. Organisational consultation
  8. Moving forward



What's the evidence base for this resource: While there is no published evaluation of this curriculum or the resources it contains, the resource was created by advocates and clinicians at the Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, which is a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. 



Potential uses and limitations: This resource is intended as the curriculum for an 8-session peer support and training group for workers who have experienced violence and trauma. This resource may be useful for supervisors as inspiration for conversations during supervision, or for any worker to consider the impacts of their personal identities and/or histories upon their professional role working with clients who experience trauma. The resource provides several tools for self-assessment and reflection.

While the curriculum includes sessions for participants to brainstorm organisational changes, it is not itself a primary resource. 



Where it comes from: This resource is designed by the Advocate Education and Support Project, which is part of the Center for Violence Prevention and Recovery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. The resource was uploaded to the US Vicarious Trauma Toolkit's Compendium of resources.


Headington Institute

Description

This organisation for humanitarian workers provides information, training, and literature on vicarious trauma, burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and resilience.

Link to Headington Institute, Vicarious Trauma section

 

What's the evidence base for this resource

The training material and other resources have been developed by a highly experienced group of clinicians and researchers with extensive expertise in the trauma field.


Potential uses and limitations

The main focus of the Headington Institute is workers and organisations providing humanitarian aid.

However much of the material would be useful across a range of contexts.

Includes a fully downloadable training package including worksheets, handouts and video links.

The role of organisational responses is noted and some suggestions are made, however are not as detailed as the sections focussing on self-care.

There are some useful questions to guide reflection for managers and supervisors.


Where it comes from

The Headington Institute partners with humanitarian relief and development organizations and emergency responders, before, during, and after deployment in order to ensure the wellbeing of individuals. Our team of psychologists, many with over 30 years of clinical experience, bridge cutting edge academic research with practical application at the field level, in order to strengthen the impact of humanitarian response and promote the long-term wellbeing of humanitarian personnel. Based in the US.


What is PTSD? What it looks like across workplaces?

Description: This presentation describes the key clinical features of PTSD, including the current diagnostic criteria, accompanying clinical presentations, functional outcomes and common comorbid conditions that present with PTSD.

The talk presents data on the prevalence and presenting features of PTSD across varying workplace settings, including first-responders (paramedics, fire-fighters, police), defence, primary health care settings, drug and alcohol services, and forensic settings.

Prevalence rates and important issues for consideration are highlighted in relation to PTSD in these workplace settings and the heterogeneity of PTSD presentations are highlighted.


What's the evidence base for this resource: The presenter, Professor Kim Felmingham, is a recognised academic expert on workplace related mental health issues. We have a high level of confidence that the information presented is accurate and reliable.

 

Potential uses and limitation: Concise information on the prevalence of workplace trauma across a range of workplaces. Briefly summarises some of the evidence regarding organisational culture as a protective factor, and what organisations can do to support workers dealing with trauma exposure. 


Where it comes from: Recorded as part of WorkSafe Tasmania PTSD: "Mental Health Matters" Conference, 14th October 2019.


Content Warning:
These videos address issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Please be aware that presentations may contain content and imagery that may be confronting or cause distress.






Traumatic horror, injustice, embitterment and shame: The impact of moral injury in the workplace

Description: Fear based models of PTSD have dominated research and clinical approaches to PTSD since the 1990s. The role of overwhelming horror, injustice, embitterment and shame emerge as alternative pathways to traumatic stress injury and the role of such emotions in addition to exposure to ‘life threat’. This session will provide attendees with an overview of research in moral injury which aims to expand treatments for PTSD to better address role of these forms of traumatic stress injury.


What's the evidence base for this resource: Professor Zachary Steel is a recognized academic researcher at the University of New South Wales. We have a high degree of confidence in the information presented. 


Potential uses and limitations: Discussion starter on the under-recognized issue of moral injury. Useful for supervisors.

Does not provide any advice on how this could be addressed at an organisational/primary prevention level.

 

Where it comes from: Recorded as part of WorkSafe Tasmania PTSD: "Mental Health Matters" Conference, 14th October 2019


Content Warning: These videos address issues relating to post traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions. Please be aware that presentations may contain content and imagery that may be confronting or cause distress.






Blue Knot Foundation training: Managing Vicarious Trauma

Description: Overview and link to registration for Blue Knot's Managing Vicarious Trauma training workshops.

Their one-day Managing Vicarious Trauma interactive professional development training "explores the nature, dynamics and risks of vicarious trauma (VT), contrasts it with burnout, post-traumatic stress disorder and compassion fatigue, and supports you to stay healthy and safe in your work with people impacted by diverse traumas"

Training calendar


What's the evidence base for this resource: Not applicable.

 

Potential uses and limitations: "It is appropriate for all workers who work with trauma clients and/or are exposed to traumatic material such as other people’s trauma stories, reports with trauma content, reading material, legal reports, compensation claims, visual trauma material and media content"

 

Where it comes from: The Blue Knot Foundation is an Australian organisation that supports adults who have experienced childhood trauma.


Vicarious Trauma - National Auslan Interpreter Booking & Payment Service

Description: Overview of Vicarious Trauma as it relates to Auslan/sign language interpreters, especially in health and legal settings.

 The content is relatively introductory educational material.


What's the evidence base for this resource: Does not refer to the literature. However the information is broadly consistent with the evidence and accepted practice.

 

Potential uses and limitations: A useful prompt to think about the impacts and supports for this group of workers, whose needs are often overlooked. Includes information on how to access a specialised support service for interpreters.

 

Where it comes from: The National Auslan Interpreter Booking & Payment Service (NABS)


Taking Care of You: For Workers in the Field

Description: Downloadable fact sheet with brief explanations of common themes associated with vicarious trauma, and some tips for looking after yourself.

 

What's the evidence base for this resource: Is presented as a 'Factsheet' style resource. Refers to a small range of credible literature sources to support key points.

 

Potential uses and limitations: Although it acknowledges the organisational context, the focus is on individual workers awareness and self-care. Intended for workers in the sexual abuse field, however much of the information relates to trauma more generally.

 

Where it comes from: Knowmore, an Australian legal service set up to assist survivors of institutional child sexual abuse.



CW360°: A Comprehensive Look At A Prevalent Child Welfare Issue

Description:  A special edition of a journal with a range of short articles related to Vicarious Trauma, Secondary Traumatic Stress etc.


Table of Contents

Overview

Helping that Hurts: Child Welfare Secondary Traumatic Stress Reactions, Charles R. Figley, PhD 4 

Occupational Hazards of Work in Child Welfare: Direct Trauma, Secondary Trauma and Burnout,  Kimberly K. Shackelford, PhD, LCSW 6 

Secondary Traumatic Stress and Supervisors: The Forgotten Victims, Crystal Collins-Camargo, MSW, PhD 8 

The Vicious Cycle: Policy, the Media, and Secondary Traumatic Stress, David Chenot, PhD, MDiv, LCSW 10 

Media Influence on Development of Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Workers, Kate Richardson, Dip SW, BA 11 

Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare: Multi-Level Prevention and Intervention Strategies,  Alison Hendricks, LCSW 12 

Vicarious Traumatization and Work in Child Welfare Organizations: Risk, Prevention, and Intervention, Joy D. Osofsky, PhD 14 

Best Practices

Preparing MSW Students for Practicing in Child Welfare, Ronald Rooney, PhD 15

Withstanding Secondary Traumatic Stress: The Role of Realistic Recruitment, Nancy S. Dickinson, MSSW, PhD 16 

Screening for Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare Workers, Brian E. Bride, PhD, LCSW 18 

A Psychoeducation Model for Teaching Child Welfare Practitioners to Dump Their Secondary Traumatic Stress Buckets,  Josephine Pryce, PhD, MSW 19 

What Can Child Welfare Workers Do about Vicarious Trauma?, Laurie Anne Pearlman, PhD 20 

Social Support in the Workplace and Secondary Trauma, Anita P. Barbee, MSSW, PhD 21 

Going Beyond Self Care: Effectively Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress Among Child Protective Staff,  Erika Tullberg, MPA, MPH, Roni Avinadav, PhD and Claude M. Chemtob, PhD 22 

The Secondary Trauma Prevention Project: A Multilevel Systems Approach to Protect Child Welfare Staff from Secondary  Trauma, David Conrad, LCSW 23 

Developing, Continuously Improving, and Disseminating Culturally-Appropriate Workplace Policies to Prevent and Mitigate  Secondary Traumatic Stress among Child Welfare Workers, James C. Caringi, PhD and Hal A. Lawson, PhD 24

Perspectives & Collaborations

Social Work in a Rural Community, Julie Krings, MSW, CSW 26 

A Supervisor’s Perspective on the Importance of Addressing Secondary Traumatic Stress in Child Welfare,  Julie Collins, LCSW 27 

The Trauma of Working with Victims of Torture, Patricia Shannon, PhD, LP 28 

Utilizing Traditional Anishinaabe Cultural Practices to Reduce Secondary Traumatic Stress in the Workplace,  Ryan L. Champagne, Social Service Director for a Tribal Agency 29

Secondary Trauma and the Work of the Minnesota Child Mortality Review Panel, Esther Wattenberg, Professor 30

A Judicial Perspective on Secondary Trauma in Child Welfare, Judge Kathryn Quaintance 31 

Secondary Traumatic Stress and Child Welfare: A Foster Parent Perspective,  Phill Klamm, Jodie Klamm, and Crystal Peterson, MSSW, APSW; Edited by Amelia Franck Meyer, MS, MSW, APSW, LISW 32 

We Need to Pay Attention, Joan Riebel, LICSW 33


What's the evidence base for this resource:
Peer reviewed journal.

Potential uses and limitations:
Focused on child protection/welfare but much of the content has broader relevance.

Some articles include descriptions of organisational interventions. These are free to access academic articles, they are mostly written in a way that is relatively accessible to non-academic workers in the field.


Where it comes from: 
Link to journal (free to access via the US VTT site):

https://vtt.ovc.ojp.gov/ojpasset/Documents/OS_STS_Child_Welfare_Article_Review.pdf



Building Resiliency in Child Abuse Organizations

Description: Fully structured training program about Building Resiliency that addresses individual as well as organisational factors.
Provides handouts, ppt slides, etc. Training can be tailored (e.g. half day, full day etc) and individual modules selected.

What's the evidence base for this resource: The training material draws on established evidence and consultation with experts in the field.

Potential uses and limitations: Can be utilised by management and leaders with responsibility for staff wellbeing to deliver training sessions on a range of related topics. Importantly, there are modules which address organisational responsibilities for managers.

Where it comes from: Developed by US Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center "to support professional development, enhance services to the community, and expand outreach to under-served victims of crime".

The training materials can be downloaded from the US OVC website




Bringing Team Care Strategies and Resilience to Your Agency Staff

Description: Training material in pdf format on themes of resilience, vicarious trauma, self-care.

What's the evidence base for this resource: Draws on credible, established references.

Potential uses and limitations: Could be used/adapted to run introductory in-house training on resilience and VT. Is necessarily 'broad' in terms of suggested strategies, but it does cover organisational factors and emphasizes the importance of shared power and decision making process.

Individual slides could be used. While the content is usable, some slides would need to be re-formatted for presentation.

Where it comes from: Credited to Katherine Manners and Lisa Tieszen, available for download from the US VTT.


An Organizational Self-Care Model: Practical Suggestions for Development and Implementation

Description: Describes the implementation of a staff self-care program across a large organisation. While many strategies were in some senses individual level, the key point was that the organisation provided the time and legitimacy for staff to participate in the activities.

Talking points:

p306: In an organisational setting, the assessment of personal trauma histories and other intra-individual characteristics typically is not appropriate or feasible.

p306: Hypothesis: Workers in organisations where there is little control over workload and sources of support (e.g., hospitals, outpatient public mental health clinics, government social services) and whose personal values may be in conflict with organisational goals (e.g., military mental health therapists, prison psychologists) would be more susceptible to burnout in comparison with workers who are self-employed, or where there is a better 'value fit'.

Link to abstract: http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0011000010381790