The Secondary Trauma Prevention Project: Colorado Department of Human Services

Secondary Trauma: "It is the stress resulting from helping or wanting to help a traumatized or suffering person." (Charles Figley, Compassion Fatigue, 1995)

This pilot project is a collaborative effort of the JFK Partners and the Colorado Department of Human Services. The project seeks to provide emotional support and psycho-education to county department of social services staff impacted by both acute and long-term trauma. The Project Coordinator provides stress debriefings for staff emotionally traumatized by the death or serious injury of children on their caseload. Secondary Trauma Training Seminars are all also offered to help relieve staff of secondary trauma caused by frequent and/or prolonged exposure to traumatized children and their families. Traumatic Stress Educational Support Groups are time-limited support groups offered to social services staff as an opportunity to talk about the emotional stresses they encounter on their jobs.

Major Goals:

1. Provide staff with information and strategies so they can better understand and combat the negative effects of secondary trauma. 2. Provide a forum where staff feel safe and comfortable discussing their emotional reactions to the trauma they encounter on their jobs. 3. Gather data to assess the level of secondary traumatic stress among Child Protection caseworkers.

Funding Source:

The Secondary Trauma Prevention Project is funded through a contract from the Colorado Department of Human Services.

Contact person:

David Conrad, LCSW Senior Instructor JFK Partners Department of Pediatrics University of Colorado Health Sciences Center 13121 E. East 17th Avenue, C221 Denver, Colorado 80262 (303) 861-6183 (303) 764-8086 conrad.david@TCHDEN.org

JFK Partners

University of Colorado Denver

13121 E. 17^th Ave, C234

Aurora, CO 80045

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