Trainings for Helping Professionals
Coping with compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and more in high-stress and trauma-exposed workplaces.
High quality, evidence-informed education sessions with a certified instructor. Available virtually or in person.
60-minute, 90-minute, half-day, and full-day adaptations available.
We offer tailored training for many industries. Need a session that mixes topics for your event? Contact us! We enjoy making custom content for you.
Training topics
The Cost of Caring? Strategies for Transforming Empathic Strain and Other Side Effects of Helping Work
In our roles as helping professionals, we often see other people’s suffering up close and personal. How do we stay present, compassionate, and useful in the long term? In this workshop we’ll discuss:
Compassion Fatigue/ Empathic Strain - the gradual erosion of our capacity to care
Vicarious Trauma/ Secondary Traumatic Stress - a shift in our worldview and sense of safety
Moral Distress - when we can’t do what’s right
Proven strategies to maintain (or regain) empathy and ethical practice, and more.
Participants say: “What stood out most for me was that successful change is often incremental change. Thank you for the positive, optimistic session.” Toronto District School Board Alternative Schools Staff
Bearing Witness and Being Well: Mitigating Secondary Traumatic Stress in Ourselves and Each Other
The details we hear or read about others’ traumatizing experiences, and our own limitations because of unjust systems, inevitably have an effect on us and can cause us to feel angry, drained, or helpless (or all of the above). In this workshop we’ll talk about:
How exposure to trauma, directly or indirectly, can affect us
How self-awareness and mutual support practices can help us cope
Why boundaries are essential for staying engaged and healthy, and much more.
Participants say: “Sarah's workshops are indispensable and have become a standard part of our on-boarding process. Not only do the workshops provide our team members practical tips for staying safe through our line of work - they also contribute to building a safer, caring work culture for the entire company.” Takuto Shiota, Shiota Health Communications
First, Do No Harm: Trauma-Informed Practice Skills for Support and Safety
We don’t have to be trauma specialists to support people who’ve experienced trauma. In this workshop you’ll learn:
How traumatic experiences can affect people’s wellbeing and behaviour
Simple practices that can help us support others who may have gone through life-altering events
Tips for managing the impact on ourselves of the traumatic stories and events we are exposed to in our work.
Frequently Asked Questions:
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It’s anyone who works in a role (paid or as a volunteer) that brings them into contact with others’ struggles and suffering, and who seeks to help.
Open Minds has trained:
healthcare workers
educators and education workers
HR professionals
social services and non-profit workers
first responders
legal services staff
family caregivers
public servants
library workers
union representatives
social media monitors
volunteers
community organizers
and many more.
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Pricing depends on factors such as delivery format (online vs. virtual), venue, session length, and group size. Contact us for a free consultation about your group’s needs and a detailed quote.
Discounts are available upon request for large groups as well as not-for-profit and community agencies.