The Importance of Managing Vicarious Trauma and Compassion Fatigue within Efforts to Support System Involved Youth

Waynette Brock and Melissa Wallace

Training Description

Identifying and understanding compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma, which are known as the “hazards of the trade,” is important to maintain wellness. Anyone who supports system involved youth and families are vulnerable to these hazards. Through this experiential training, participants will explore their own experiences with these subjects, learn ways to build resilience, and gain strategies to effectively prevent or manage them and improve outcomes for system involved youth.

In this training, we will discuss strategies for reducing risk of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue and identify tools, techniques and ways to eliminate or diminish intrusive thoughts, feelings and behaviors that impact how we support system involved youth and their families. Participants will learn how to cope with the aftermath of traumatic incidents and spot the signs of trauma. The adverse consequences of supporting traumatized individuals have been described as vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic…