Description
Research of clinical populations in a wide range of practice settings consistently reveals that a majority of clients who seek or are required to seek social work services have histories of trauma. This includes settings in which clients’ trauma exposure is the focus of treatment—like crisis and disaster relief—and settings in which the treatment focus is on clients’ present-day challenges, including school, outpatient and inpatient behavioral health, correctional, and child welfare settings. Whether the trauma exposure is in the foreground or background, it is incumbent upon social workers to understand how they can respond to the unique needs of clients with histories of trauma in ways that promote resilience, empowerment, and growth and minimize the risk of re-traumatization.
In this workshop, the presenter explains the trauma-informed (TI) conceptualization and identifies its core principles. The presenter identifies practice skills that social workers already possess that promote a TI orientation in their practice. She clarifies that adopting a TI lens in clinical practice does not require practitioners to adopt a new set of skills.
Working with clients with histories of trauma inevitably leads to indirect trauma and its three manifestations: vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and compassion fatigue. Therefore, the presenter introduces attendees to these affective reactions and identifies ways in which social workers can manage them.
This workshop will adopt a discussion format. Relevant research and case examples will be integrated throughout the presentation, and attendees will be encouraged to share their questions, cases, and concerns.
Instructor
Dr. Carolyn Knight is a social worker with more than thirty-five years of experience working individually and in groups with adult survivors of childhood trauma and teaching practice in the generalist and foundation social work practice curriculum. Dr. Knight has written about and presented workshops on the trauma-informed conceptualization and its application to clinical practice and supervision. She is co-author, with Professors Alex Gitterman and Carel Germain (deceased), of the 2021 social work practice text, The Life Model of Social Work Practice, 4th ed. She also is the author of Introduction to Working with Adult Survivors of Childhood Trauma: Strategies and Skills and Group Therapy for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse, as well as numerous articles and book chapters on working with adult survivors.
Dr. Knight is the co-editor of two additional books, Group Work with Populations at Risk, 4th ed (with G. Greif) and Trauma-informed Supervision in a Global Context (with L.D. Borders). She is co-editor of the forthcoming book (with G. Greif), Handbook of Contemporary Group Work Practice: Promoting Resilience and Empowerment in a Complex World, published by Oxford University Press.
Agenda & Learning Objectives
AGENDA:
8:50-9:00 Registration/Log On
9:00-10:00
10:00-10:45
10:45 – 11:00 Break
11:00 – 11:30
11:30-12:15
12:15 Questions & Adjournment
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of this workshop, participants will be able to:
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Understand the trauma-informed conceptualization and its core principles.
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Identify practice skills that reflect a TI orientation.
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Recognize manifestations of indirect trauma and ways of managing their affective responses.
Bibliography & References
BIBLIOGRAPHY & REFERENCES
Frey, L. L., Beesley, D., Abbott, D., & Kendrick, E. (2017). Vicarious resilience in sexual assault and domestic violence advocates. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 9, 44-51
Gitterman, A., Knight, C., & Germain, C. (2021). The life model of social work practice 4th ed. New York NY: Columbia University Press.
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. (2001). Using trauma theory to design service systems: New directions for mental health services. Jossey Bass.
Knight, C. (2023). Integrating a trauma-informed perspective into the foundation and generalist social work practice curriculum. In L. Tufford & A. Dylan (Eds). Trauma-informed care in social work education: Implications for students, educators, and field. Abingdon UK: Routledge.
Knight, C. (2019). Trauma informed practice and care: Implications for field instruction. Clinical Social Work Journal, 47, 79-89.
Lee, J. J., Gottfried, R., & Bride, B. E. (2018). Exposure to client trauma, secondary traumatic stress, and the health of clinical social workers: A mediation analysis. Clinical Social Work Journal, 46, 228–235.
Levenson, J. (2020). Translating trauma-informed principles into social work practice. Social Work, 65(3), 288-298.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMSHA) (2014). Retrieved from https://ncsacw.samhsa.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf
Target Audience
Social Workers, LCPCs, and Psychologists
We welcome anyone interested in the topic!
Late Fees and Refunds
The base price is $70 and includes CE credit. A non-refundable late fee of $20 is added on April 3, 2024.
Cancellations** must be received 24 hours in advance prior to the workshop to receive a refund or an account credit.
Late fees cannot be refunded or applied to account credit.
**ALL cancellations will be subjected to a $35.00 administration fee.**
ADA Accommodations
If you are requesting ADA accommodations, please contact our office via email at least two weeks prior to the workshop date. Requests after that date may not be fulfilled.
Our email address is cpe@ssw.umaryland.edu.
