People Prefer the Certainty of Misery to
the Misery of Uncertainty
Virginia Satir - psychotherapist
the Misery of Uncertainty
Virginia Satir - psychotherapist
SECONDARY TRAUMATIC STRESS
Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. The essential act of listening to trauma stories may take an emotional toll that compromises professional functioning and diminishes quality of life. Individual and supervisory awareness of the effects of this indirect trauma exposure is a basic part of protecting the health of the worker and ensuring that children and citizens consistently receive the best possible care from those who are committed to helping them.
Post Traumatic Stress is a Normal Response to an Abnormal Situation.
Coping Strategies
Anything that helps reduce your cortisol response can help reduce or prevent secondary trauma.
1. Exercise
2. Mindfulness/Meditation - apps like YouTube, Calm, Headspace, MoodTools, Abide
3. Grounding exercises
4. Tactical Breathing
5. Spend time with family
6. Spend time with pets or animals
7. Hobbies
8. Gardening, Hiking, time in nature
9. Journaling - If you don't like to write a lot, you can write 3 things you are grateful for, 3 good things that happened today, and 3 things you are looking forward to tomorrow.
10. Prayer
11. Connecting with Faith Communities
12. Talk to a colleague who understands
13. Humor, comedy
Make a Plan for Coping
Every day - Exercise, mindfulness or prayer
At work - talk to a colleague after your shift
After work - Spend time with pets or family, watch a comedy on TV
Know the resources your workplace or community has in place if you become distressed or have your mood affected by traumatic experiences or secondary trauma. You should not have to suffer alone. www.copsalive.com
Secondary traumatic stress is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another. The essential act of listening to trauma stories may take an emotional toll that compromises professional functioning and diminishes quality of life. Individual and supervisory awareness of the effects of this indirect trauma exposure is a basic part of protecting the health of the worker and ensuring that children and citizens consistently receive the best possible care from those who are committed to helping them.
Post Traumatic Stress is a Normal Response to an Abnormal Situation.
Coping Strategies
Anything that helps reduce your cortisol response can help reduce or prevent secondary trauma.
1. Exercise
2. Mindfulness/Meditation - apps like YouTube, Calm, Headspace, MoodTools, Abide
3. Grounding exercises
4. Tactical Breathing
5. Spend time with family
6. Spend time with pets or animals
7. Hobbies
8. Gardening, Hiking, time in nature
9. Journaling - If you don't like to write a lot, you can write 3 things you are grateful for, 3 good things that happened today, and 3 things you are looking forward to tomorrow.
10. Prayer
11. Connecting with Faith Communities
12. Talk to a colleague who understands
13. Humor, comedy
Make a Plan for Coping
Every day - Exercise, mindfulness or prayer
At work - talk to a colleague after your shift
After work - Spend time with pets or family, watch a comedy on TV
Know the resources your workplace or community has in place if you become distressed or have your mood affected by traumatic experiences or secondary trauma. You should not have to suffer alone. www.copsalive.com
"Your safety is very important. Please let me know if you have any safety concerns so we can address them. "
National Websites
For Police and Sheriff's Departments
International Association of Chiefs of Police
- Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Children Exposed to Violence and Childhood Trauma - LINK
- Enhancing Law Enforcement Response to Children Exposed to Violence Toolkit - LINK
- Trauma Informed Response to Victims of Crime - LINK
- Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents Toolkit - LINK
- Creating a Trauma Informed Law Enforcement System - LINK
- Cops, Kids, and Domestic Violence Training Video - LINK
- Law Enforcement - Mental Health Partnerships Webinar - LINK
- Trauma Informed Care and Alternatives to Seclusion and Restraint - LINK
- Engaging Men - LINK
- Handle With Care Program , Law Enforcement - School Partnerships - LINK - on this page click on Handle With Care drop down menu for more options
- Oklahoma City Public Schools 'Handle With Care' Partnership - LINK
- Citizen/Clergy Patrols - LINK
- Community Policing Program - LINK
- CopsAlive.com - LINK
First Responders
the criminal justice system
SAMHSA
- What Every Judge Needs to Know About Trauma - LINK
- Bench Cards for the Trauma Informed Judge - LINK
- Trauma Informed Assessment and Intervention - LINK
- Polyvictimization Considerations in the Judicial System Webinar - LINK
- Ten Things Every Juvenile Court Judge Should Know About Trauma and Delinquency - LINK
- Assisting Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth in the Juvenile Justice System - LINK
- Essential Elements of a Trauma Informed Juvenile Justice System - LINK
- Trauma Informed Legal Advocacy: A Resource for Defense Attorneys - LINK
- Trauma: What Child Welfare Attorneys Should Know - LINK
- Victimization and Juvenile Offending - LINK
- Addressing Trauma and Disproportionate Ethnic Minority Contact in Juvenile Justice Through Empowerment - LINK
- Assessing Exposure to Psychological Trauma and Post-traumatic Stress in the Juvenile Justice Population - LINK
- Trauma Informed Services and Treatments for Crossover Youth Webinar - LINK
- Trauma Among Girls in the Juvenile Justice System - LINK
- Trauma Focused Interventions for Youth in the Juvenile Justice System - LINK
- The Role of Family Engagement in Creating Trauma Informed Juvenile Justice Systems - LINK
- Cross-System Collaboration - LINK
- MORE Resources from NCTSN - LINK
- Deferred Prosecution and No Hit Zone Programs, links to other resources - LINK
- Resources on the historical context of spanking especially in African American communities - LINK
for prisons and juvenile detention centers
Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority
- Trauma Informed and Evidence Based Practices and Programs to Address Trauma in Correctional Facilities - LINK
- Engaging Women in Trauma Informed Peer Support: A Guidebook - LINK
- The Trauma Informed Care Initiative at the Women's Community Correctional Facility of Hawaii - LINK
- Trust Based Relational Intervention For Teens - LINK
- Using Trauma Informed Practices to Enhance Safety and Security in Women's Correctional Facilities - LINK
- Engaging Men - LINK
- Think Trauma: A Training for Staff in Juvenile Justice Residential Settings - LINK
- Trauma and the Environment of Care in Juvenile Institutions - LINK
- Assisting Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth in the Juvenile Justice System - LINK
- Victimization and Juvenile Offending - LINK
- Addressing Trauma and Disproportionate Ethnic Minority Contact in Juvenile Justice Through Empowerment - LINK
- MORE Resources from NCTSN - LINK
- Resources on the historical context of spanking especially in African American Communities - LINK
Oklahoma websites
Palomar - Oklahoma City's Family Justice Center - LINK
- A group of service-oriented agencies that came together in 2016 with a BIG vision: to create a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary service model where teams of professionals come together under one roof to provide coordinated services to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, elder abuse, bullying, and human trafficking.
- A central location providing comprehensive, compassionate, services for families dealing with all forms of violence, abuse, and needs for legal assistance.
- Search domestic abuse shelters by city or zip code, plus information and resources about domestic abuse
- Ada, Ardmore, Bartlesville, Claremore, Durant, El Reno, Enid, Idabel, Jay, McAlester, Miami, Muskogee, Norman, Oklahoma City, Ponca City, Poteau, Sallisaw, Shawnee, Stigler, Stillwater, Tulsa
- These generally provide forensic interviews, medical exams, case review, victim advocacy, trauma informed mental health services or referrals, and public education around abuse prevention
Recommended Books
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The Body Keeps The Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, MD - LINK
Trauma Informed Juvenile Justice in the United States by Judah Oudshoorn - LINK Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement: A guide for officers and their families - LINK Good Cop, Good Cop: A get healthy, stay healthy guide for law enforcement by Brian Casey - LINK Armor Your Self: How to survive a career in law enforcement by John S. Marx - LINK What Is A Girl Worth? by Rachael Denhollander - LINK |
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Photo used under Creative Commons from André Gustavo Stumpf
