Amid global crises, secondary traumatic stress (STS) and compassion fatigue (CF) have become increasingly prominent as first responders, front-line medical personnel, and mental health professionals face not only the trauma of those they care for but also their own physical, emotional, and psychological stress.
The intensity of compassion and empathy that drives these professionals to offer solace and healing can come at a high personal cost—often leading to exhaustion that affects every aspect of their well-being.
This course is designed to help behavioral health clinicians understand and manage the emotional toll of working with traumatized clients, focusing on secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, and burnout.
Led by two seasoned experts, participants will gain a clearer understanding of secondary trauma and how indirect exposure to clients’ traumatic experiences can have significant emotional impacts. They will learn to identify the key symptoms of STS, CF, burnout, and vicarious trauma, recognizing how these challenges manifest in both their personal and professional lives.
Participants will delve into evidence-based practices and interventions, such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness techniques, that can help them manage and reduce the effects of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue. They will explore practical self-care strategies to help maintain their well-being while continuing to provide care. Additionally, they will learn how to balance compassion fatigue with compassion satisfaction, using the latter as a buffer against the challenges of their work.
The course also covers organizational support strategies to reduce burnout and ways to advocate for healthier work environments. Finally, participants will discover tailored approaches for addressing trauma in a variety of settings, learning how to connect meaningfully with clients while maintaining healthy emotional boundaries.
By the end of the course, you will be equipped with the essential tools to manage your emotional health, build resilience, and continue offering compassionate care without sacrificing your own well-being.
Register today and discover how to sustain a long and fulfilling career while working with vulnerable and traumatized populations.
This is a non-interactive self-study course.
Instruction consists of 3 hours of video instruction and a post-test.
Learning Objectives:
- List symptoms and identify the differences and similarities of secondary traumatic stress STS, compassion fatigue CF, burnout BO, and vicarious trauma VT.
- Recognize personal and professional vulnerabilities to secondary traumatic stress and compassion fatigue.
- Develop interventions useful via Telemental health in working with those who are experiencing STS, CF, and BO.
From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.
Vanessa Snyder, PhD, is the Vice President of the Richmont Institute for Trauma & Recovery and is an Assistant Professor at Richmont Graduate University. She spearheaded the launch of the Richmont Trauma Center and now directs all clinical services. She is a practicing Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and a Licensed Professional Counselor. She is also an AAMFT Approved Supervisor, Approved Clinical Supervisor, Certified Sex Therapist, Certified Master Traumatologist, and Certified Anger Management Specialist. Clinically, she specializes in treatment of trauma, complex trauma, and dissociative disorders.
Dan Sartor, PhD, LPC, NCC is the Vice President of Integration and Professor of Counseling at Richmont Graduate University in Atlanta, GA. He is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist (IL & GA), Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (IL), and Nationally Board Certified Counselor. In addition to addressing issues of depression, anxiety, and grief in psychotherapy, Dan’s clinical specialties include complex trauma recovery, sexuality issues, addiction recovery, marital therapy, and the integration of Christian faith with clinical practice.
Credit Hours:
This course consists of 3 continuing education hours of credits.
Counselors: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No, 6693. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Mental Health Counselors. #MHC-0048.
Marriage and Family Therapists: Many MFT licensing boards accept our courses or one of the approvals which we have from professional associations. You can check with your board to determine if your licensing board would accept this course.
Social Workers: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, #1609, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 05/02/2024 – 05/02/2027. Social workers completing this course receive 3 clinical continuing education credits.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Social Workers #SW-0435.
Addiction Professionals: This course has been approved by Telehealth Certification Institute LLC, as a NAADAC Approved Education Provider, for educational credits. NAADAC Provider #193104, Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is responsible for all aspects of the programming.
Psychologists: Telehealth Certification Institute LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Telehealth Certification Institute LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Psychologists #PSY-0128.
Art Therapists: Telehealth Certification Institute, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for Licensed Creative Arts Therapists #CAT-0093.
Other Professionals: This course qualifies for 180 minutes of instructional content as required by many national, state and local licensing boards and professional organizations. Retain your certificate of completion and contact your board or organization for specific filing requirements.
To receive your certificate of completion you must complete the course in its entirety.
To complete an Online Self Study Course, one must register, log in, select the My Courses option from the menu items, click the Course Title, complete all of the modules, complete and pass the post-test(s), and complete the course evaluation.
A grade of at least 80% or more is required to pass the post-test. Retaking the post-test is possible until the participant is able to pass the test.
Psychologists and other professionals seeking CE credit through our approval with the American Psychological Association are asked but not required to complete the course evaluation before obtaining their certificate of completion, however passing a post-test for online self-study courses, and submitting one's attendance for live on-site and live webinars is required.
You can download or print your certificate of completion by logging into your account, navigating to the course by selecting the My Courses option from the menu items, clicking the Course Title, scrolling to the Certificate of Completion section, and clicking on the Certificate of Completion link to either download it or print it.
Participants may request a printed version of their certificate of completion to be delivered by mail. A shipping/handling fee of $6.95 will be charged per request. Shipping internationally may require an additional charge.
Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.
This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.
This is a non-interactive self-study course. Teaching methods for this course includes recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.
