Description

Helpers regularly encounter stories and symptoms of trauma in their roles. There is growing evidence that the impact of directly supporting others through experiences of trauma goes beyond burnout or fatigue. The toll of witnessing intense human experiences and emotions can contribute to a negative transformation of a helper’s own sense of safety, and of being competent and purposeful. This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to examine their own experiences and become aware of the signs of both vicarious trauma and vicarious growth. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a personalized plan to repair negative effects as well as accelerate their resilience.

Some of the Topics Included

• Signs of Vicarious Trauma
• Anchor Points that Keep You Solid and Steady
• Empathy – A Vicarious Experience
• Building Self-Awareness of the Impact of Working with Trauma
• External Factors Impacting the Effects of Trauma Work
• Individual Factors Impacting the Effects of Trauma Work
• Recognize the Sound and Feel of Your Alarm
• Strategies for Building Empathic Resilience
• Practicing Vicarious Resilience
• Building a Personalized Plan

Learning Objectives

At the end of this workshop, participants should be able to:

• Describe the process of vicarious impact on a helper from working with trauma
• Distinguish between the concepts of secondary stress, vicarious trauma, and vicarious resilience
• Identify key vulnerabilities and strengths in one’s own practice as a helper
• List strategies for the transformation of vicarious impact into resilience

About this Workshop

ABOUT THE TRAINER

Marwa Fadol, MA, RPsych

Marwa is a Registered Psychologist in Alberta and holds a Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology. In addition to training with CTRI, she is a Mental Health Therapist with Alberta Health Services, providing triage and assessment to people struggling with addiction and mental health concerns. She also has a private practice where she works with families around various issues including anxiety, depression, trauma, grief, and family relationships. Additionally, Marwa consults with community and faith-based organizations on topics related to mental health. As a clinician she believes that people are the experts in their own lives and have within them the strength and capacity to enact change. Marwa approaches her work through an attachment and developmental lens and sees that her role as a therapist is to help empower people to write their own life stories, explore their own values and beliefs about how the world works, and develop authentic, fulfilling relationships. She is also a contributing author of CTRI’s book, Counselling in Relationships, and is the author or editor of several of CTRI’s training materials, including those on the topics of attachment and counselling in relationships. As a trainer she brings warmth and humour and draws on her varied experiences to make for an engaging, relevant training experience.

Target Audience

This is an introductory-intermediate level workshop for social service and health care professionals, counsellors, social workers, school personnel, and anyone working in the helping profession.