Webinar Overview

Despite an increased understanding of how youths’ trauma exposure impacts their mental and behavioral health, less is known about direct care staffs’ early adversity and its impact on their ability to provide high-quality, trauma-informed care to youth. While staff with histories of early adversity often report high levels of motivation for this work, they are also at greater risk for work-related negative psychological outcomes, including secondary traumatic stress and burnout, which can increase the probability of critical incidents, restraints, and re-traumatization for both youth and staff. Coupled with nationwide reports of high turnover rates, a system’s understanding of and responsiveness to staffs’ history of adversity is now as important as any other component of trauma-informed care. However, to date, there has been no study evaluating the prevalence of adversity in a sample of direct care staff only. This presentation presents preliminary findings from the Staff Stress and Support Survey, a nationally representative study of direct care staff from US-based residential treatment centers. Data regarding ACE prevalence (using the Expanded Philadelphia ACE), Professional Quality of Life, and burnout will be presented. The presentation will conclude with a brief discussion of best practices for supporting staff who may be coming to their roles with elevated histories of adversity or trauma, highlighting innovative ways to build skills related to staffs’ self-awareness and self-regulation, as well as agency-level practices that build trauma-responsive cultures.

Attendance Certificates Available

*Must watch webinar LIVE to receive Certificate

*Each individual requesting a Certificate, must be registered and logged in to zoom under their own name.

If you have questions, please email Amanda.