Bring your lunch and learn as Laura Vega, DSW, LCSW, Clinical Supervisor for CHOP Violence Intervention Program (VIP) and Caroline Menapace, MSW, LCSW the Child and Family Mental Health Therapist for CHOP VIP describe ways in which participants can maintain their own wellbeing while providing trauma-informed care to youth and their families through the Stress Less Initiative.

The Stress-Less Initiative is a group model to reduce secondary traumatic stress (STS) for staff. The model engages all program staff, including frontline case managers, trainees, trauma therapists, clinical supervisors, administrators, and research team members. The Stress-Less Initiative provides a safe space for staff and trainees to share how providing trauma-focused services affects them individually and offers a way to provide support and encouragement to one another.

Objectives

• To normalize and validate secondary traumatic stress symptoms for trauma clinicians and staff
• To provide a group model that can prevent and reduce Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) symptoms and build staff cohesion
• To promote organizational and team support to address the impact of trauma on staff