Category: Trauma, Children and Families, Empowerment / Strengths-Based ... (show more) Category: Trauma, Children and Families, Empowerment / Strengths-Based, Social Work (show less) Other: Missouri, Wisconsin Other: Missouri, Wisconsin (show less)

This training is rooted in three years of research and interviews with social workers, therapists, and other helping professionals. This training examines the profound impact of unresolved childhood trauma and adversity on the personal and professional lives of those dedicated to serving others. Drawing on real-world experiences and emerging neuroscience, participants will explore how childhood adaptations—such as people-pleasing, over-functioning, and emotional vigilance—become both strengths and vulnerabilities in their work.
 
Through a combination of self-reflective exercises, case examples, and trauma-informed strategies, this training uncovers the ways in which emotional contagion, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout take root in the helping professions. Participants will gain insights into how their personal histories shape their interactions with clients and colleagues, as well as their capacity to maintain boundaries and sustain emotional balance.
 
The training emphasizes the critical importance of self-awareness and authenticity in fostering resilience and professional sustainability. It introduces practical, neuroscience-based approaches to self-care that go beyond traditional practices, addressing the unique challenges faced by helping professionals.
 
By the end of the training, participants will be equipped with tools to navigate the interplay between their inner worlds and the demands of their work, enabling them to show up more authentically and effectively for themselves and those they serve. This session offers a space for healing and reflection, empowering professionals to rewrite their narratives and thrive in their roles.
Objectives:

• Identify and explain how unresolved childhood trauma and adversity shape common professional adaptations in helping professionals, including people-pleasing, over-functioning, emotional vigilance, and boundary challenges.

• Analyze the ways emotional contagion, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout develop in the helping professions, and examine how personal trauma histories influence professional relationships, emotional regulation, and sustainability in practice.
• Apply trauma-informed, neuroscience-based strategies to cultivate self-awareness, authenticity, and sustainable self-care practices that support long-term resilience and ethical, effective engagement with clients and colleagues.