{"id":1332,"date":"2015-03-03T11:27:08","date_gmt":"2015-03-03T16:27:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/starr-commonwealth-new.local\/?p=1332"},"modified":"2019-07-01T14:15:04","modified_gmt":"2019-07-01T18:15:04","slug":"self-care-creativity-in-the-trauma-informed-workplace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starr.org\/2015\/self-care-creativity-in-the-trauma-informed-workplace\/","title":{"rendered":"Self-Care & Creativity in the Trauma-Informed Workplace"},"content":{"rendered":"

Self-care in relationship to trauma work is an essential practice for professionals in this helping field. Without attention and connection to our own self-care, the demanding toll of aiding and supporting others in pain and distress can often leave us vulnerable to compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma and burnout. In relationship to this necessity for provider self-care, this post will focus on considerations about one\u2019s workplace environment and the role creativity can have as a trauma-informed practice.<\/p>\n

Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, (2009), who is author of \u201cTrauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others,\u201d identified 16 Trauma Exposure Responses that can manifest within trauma workers \u201cas a result of exposure to the suffering of other living beings or the planet,\u201d (p. 41). These responses can range from, but are not limited to, feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, experiencing pervasive exhaustion, an increasing incapability for empathy, and struggling with states of guilt, numbing, anger, and fear (Lipsky, 2009).<\/p>\n

Experiencing minimized creativity in our work is also identified as a trauma-exposure response and also worth paying attention to. Using our sense of creativity in the work we do as trauma specialists is a critical, as it helps us be open to and see new ideas or solutions that can empower problem solving, growth and different ways to view situations, tasks and challenging issues with clients, co-workers and ourselves. In addition, when trauma exposure limits our ability to embrace the fresh air that creative thinking can breathe into our work, our efforts to help others may eventually feel immobilized without meaning, hope or new possibility. We also may become apathetic to working within systems, strategies and approaches that do not nurture professional growth, invite opportunities for change, or best serve the client\u2019s needs and trauma recovery.<\/p>\n

To support the value of creativity within the workplace, as well as offer one way to foster a healthy safeguard to decreasing the effects of trauma exposure and stress, here are some suggestions to consider implementing into your work practice and setting:<\/p>\n