Teams

“Sustaining Trauma-informed Teams” will be offered as a webinar on Thursday, May 7, 2020.

Unrelenting demands, constrained resources, ethical challenges, crises, cumulative toxic stress: These are the challenges of working with deeply vulnerable populations. They take a toll on workers in non-profit, health, and human services settings, physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually. The stresses can interfere with the quality of client care and decision-making. As agencies strive to create trauma-informed cultures, leaders, supervisors, lead workers, and “natural leaders” must re-examine how they can, with intention, build resilient teams, fostering authentic social connection and supporting collective wellness.

Strong, resilient teams are the antidote to these occupational hazards. They are the indispensable foundation of a trauma-informed organizational culture. Sustaining trauma-informed teams in the workplace leads to improved morale, higher quality decision-making, and increased productivity.

This webinar introduces concrete team-building tools and practices. Current research in trauma and interpersonal neurobiology yields important lessons about how teams can cope effectively, including: improving the capacity for self-regulation, both individually and collectively; interrupting interpersonal reactivity and reframing negative thought patterns such as blaming and scapegoating; and building authentic, trusting, fun connections.

By the end of the day, participants will:

Understand the ways toxic stress interferes with team functioning;
Describe how mirror resonance systems operate within groups;
Explore the benefits and hazards of the social brain and tribalism, including how to cultivate teams that maximize inclusion and minimize othering;
Recognize and neutralize interpersonal threats that undermine a trauma-informed team;
Practice specific, concrete activities, based on recent neuroscience, to increase team cohesion, well-being, and social harmony (including having fun!).

The day-long webinar has been approved for 6 CEUs through the National Association of Social Workers.

GRADUATE STUDENT DISCOUNT: If you are currently in graduate school in a clinical discipline and wish to register, there is a half price discount. Contact the event organizer at the bottom of the page using your school email address for the special promotional code.