secondary trauma: the science and art of self-care deena mcmahon msw, licsw mcmahon counseling and...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE
Deena McMahon MSW, LICSWMcMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC
![Page 2: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
A SERIOUS PROBLEM
Job satisfaction worldwide is in a ‘surprisingly fragile state’. Research suggests that mental
health providers may be experiencing burnout in a range from 21-67%.
Miller, S., Hubble, M. & Mathieu, F. (2015, May-June). Burnout Reconsidered: What Supershrinks Can Teach Us. Psychotherapy Networker, 18-23;42-43.
2
![Page 3: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
WHAT IS BURNOUT?
• Fried, past your prime, etc..• Compassion fatigue• Vicarious traumatization, secondary traumatic
stress• Burnout?• It is all the same thing.
3
![Page 4: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
IT IS A BIG DEAL
• The world seems to be in the midst of a pandemic of burnout, spread across all age groups, genders, professions, and cultures.
Miller, S., Hubble, M. & Mathieu, F. (2015, May-June). Burnout Reconsidered: What Supershrinks Can Teach Us. Psychotherapy Networker, 18-23;42-43.
4
![Page 5: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
IMPACT ON OUR LIVES
• Increased absenteeism• Anxiety/depression/exhaustion• Job turnover• Physical illness• Insomnia• Hypertension/weight gain, muscle and bone
disorder
5
![Page 6: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
DRUG COURT CHALLENGES
• You serve the deep-end defendants who have been unreachable, unteachable, and rejected.
• They are highly mistrustful and often have misdiagnosed mental health problems.
• They are traumatized people who have been in and out of addiction programs which have not been trauma-informed.
6
![Page 7: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
YOUR DEFENDANT
• Your defendant has lost hope of success, recovery, or life in the mainstream.
• They have often lost or deeply compromised most, if not all, of their important relationships.
• They have internalized a sense of not just failing but of ‘being’ failures.
7
![Page 8: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
EXTREMELY HIGH STAKES
• Failure for your defendant will be very high.
• Jail, prison, or death is a higher stakes outcome than most professionals cope with on a daily basis.
8
![Page 9: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
VULNERABILITY
• Your work creates an intimate interface with a defendant:– You build a relationship with them. – You invest in them.– You celebrate sobriety with them.– You grieve their losses, feel their trauma, and hurt
when they hurt.
• You also sit at your desk a lot.
9
![Page 10: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
THE PARADOX• Our greatest strengths become our greatest
weaknesses.
• The capacity to share, connect, empathize, problem-solve, and engage deeply is what makes us good at what we do. It also leaves us vulnerable.
10
![Page 11: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
• You become the strength they do not have.
• You become the substitute family.
• You offer a relationship that holds them accountable.
• You are there when they need you and often when they don’t want you.
11
![Page 12: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
ANECDOTE TO BURNOUT
1. Do more of this.
2. Do less of that.
12
![Page 13: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
A NEW TWIST
• Involvement, caring, or connection is not the point; a good outcome is the point.
• Connection and involvement is a means to an end.
• “Super shrinks” (Psychotherapy Networker)
13
![Page 14: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
MANAGING EMPATHY
• Over-empathizing with a client can lead to burnout. Compassion means remaining attuned but differentiated.
– ‘What was it like for them to have that experience?’rather than
– ‘I could never have survived that.’
• This separates their feelings from ours.
Ackerman, D. & Siegel, D. (2015, May-June) . Healing and Home in the Human Age. Psychotherapy Networker, 41, 48.
14
![Page 15: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
DIFFERENTIATION
• Sometimes we forget about our victories because we are so haunted and hurt by the unsuccessful defendants.
– That is part of our story, but we do not own it.
–We were in the story, but we did not write it.
15
![Page 16: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
YOU NEED CONTROL
• Circumventing stress is a matter of possessing the ability to act effectively in any given circumstance.
• The more control workers have, the less stress-related illness they experience.
16
![Page 17: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
NEW DATA
• It is not how demanding your job is or the level of responsibility, but how much control you have in performing the work.
17
![Page 18: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
LEARNING FROM SUCCESS
• The most successful professionals, including athletes, surgeons, and scientists, tell us we have to know when we CAN’T help, and learn from that process.
Miller, S., Hubble, M. & Mathieu, F. (2015, May-June). Burnout Reconsidered: What Supershrinks Can Teach Us. Psychotherapy Networker, 18-23;42-43.
18
![Page 19: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
LEARNING FROM FAILURE
• Avoiding burnout and nurturing resiliency is knowing how to be helpful and knowing when you can’t be.
19
![Page 20: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
HOW WE GET HOOKED
• They need us to support them $$$$• It our job to hang in there????• They just need a little more time…..• At least they are not getting worse@#$^• There are no other options for this guy.
20
![Page 21: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
DO MORE
• More sleep• More fun• More exercise• More time off• More hobbies• More mindfulness• More team meetings
21
![Page 22: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
MACRO SELF-CARE
• Take longer, more expensive vacations.• Daily morning yoga with cross-fit weights 5
times a week. Eat a healthy lunch every day.• When you get home, go to your gardening
club, your book club, etc. • Make a list every morning and sleep 8 hours
every night.• Count your blessings. Be sure to be positive.
22
![Page 23: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
I simply don’t have time at the end of my day for
my good intentions.
23
![Page 24: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
LATER
• I will do that later.• Later, I will have time to spend with my
friends.• Later, I will sleep in.• Later, we can forget about what they
need and just relax.• Later may NEVER come…..
24
![Page 25: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
THE NEW SMOKING?
• The lack of exercise and immobility of our work lives is creating an epidemic of physical and mental health problems that is as serious to our generation as chronic smoking.
• It is the new national health crisis.
25
![Page 26: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
MICRO SELF-CARE
• Micro self-care is about making small changes with reliable frequency.
• Neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to reorganize itself with new neural networks) happens with brief, repetitive experiences.
• Small and frequent works better than big and seldom.
26
![Page 27: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
MICRO
• Relaxation dials down burnout.
• Energizing our sense of purpose overcomes compassion fatigue.
• Grounding ourselves keeps us safe from secondary trauma.
27
![Page 28: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
THE PLAN
• One-minute meditation by Martin Boroson (relax)
• Tense major muscles, breathe, and relax for 5 seconds. Repeat 3 times. (energize)
• Sit still, look at a loved photo or object, and repeat your mantra about connectedness to others. (grounding)
28
![Page 29: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
FIND A MANTRA
• This work is very important.
• I make a difference.
• I contribute to the greater good.
• Everyone deserves another chance.
29
![Page 30: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
BE WHERE YOU ARE
• This is mindfulness.
• Take a seat, take a breath, and simply commit to being aware of the present moment.
30
![Page 31: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
MICRO MOMENTS
• “Micro-moments” of connection (e.g. sharing a smile or expressing concern):– Improve emotional resilience– Boost immune system– Reduce susceptibility to depression and anxiety
Barbara Frederickson, as cited by E. Millard (“The Power of Kindness”; ExperienceLife.com)
31
![Page 32: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
ATTITUDE IS A CHOICE
• Attitude does not come to us at birth: It is developed over time and continues to change throughout our entire life. Thank goodness!
• Attitude is what we say when we talk to ourselves.
Urban, H. (2003). Life's greatest lessons: 20 things that matter (4th ed., 1st Fireside ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster.
32
![Page 33: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
WHAT WE SAY TO THE MIRROR
• We are typically very hard on ourselves.
• Listen to women as they talk about themselves when they look in the mirror.
33
![Page 34: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/34.jpg)
HAVE A SUPPORT SYSTEM
• You need as much support as you need.
• Having someone to share your ups and downs with on a regular basis, even for short periods of time, can make the difference between depletion and sustenance.
34
![Page 35: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/35.jpg)
COMPARTMENTALIZE
• When we get too focused on the long list in front of us, we can be demoralized and overwhelmed.
• On meeting at a time, one day at a time, one challenge at a time.
• If we teach it, we need to reach it.
35
![Page 36: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/36.jpg)
ACCEPT YOUR LIMITATIONS
• I accept that there are many aspects of this beyond my influence.
• I am doing what I can.
• I work within the system.
• I focus on the good I have achieved.
• I recognize and accept my limitations.
36
![Page 37: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/37.jpg)
LEARN TO SAY NO
• Learn to MEAN IT when you say it.
• Learn not to feel guilty about saying it.
• Learn to let others take over.
• Be a 2-year-old again, they say “NO” a lot.
• Review Step #1.
37
![Page 38: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/38.jpg)
UNPLUG
• We have fewer “real” boundaries or limits around our personal time.
• We use email/voicemail/laptops/iPhones as a convenience but have trained people to think we are always accessible.
• How many portals of entry into your life do you tolerate or want?
38
![Page 39: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/39.jpg)
SLEEP MORE
• We need eight hours, on average. If not,
–We are more accident prone.
–We are less productive.
– Short-term memory is impaired.
–Pain tolerance diminishes.
–Problem-solving decreases.
39
![Page 40: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/40.jpg)
SLEEP AND LEARNING
• Sleep helps build long-term memories and fully incorporating the day’s lessons requires a full night’s sleep.
• “If you don’t sleep the night after training, then even if you sleep the next night or the next night, you never learn.”
– Charles Czeisler, director of sleep medicine at Harvard Medical School and consultant to NASA, the Secret Service, and the NBA
McDonald, J. (2015). Sleep Like a Pro. TIME: The Science of Sleep, 56-65.
40
![Page 41: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/41.jpg)
LACK OF SLEEP
‘Getting too little sleep can have serious health consequences, including depression, weight gain, heart disease and probably mortality.’
- Steven Feinsilver, director of the Center for Sleep Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine
McDonald, J. (2015). Sleep Like a Pro. TIME: The Science of Sleep, 56-65.
41
![Page 42: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/42.jpg)
YOUR SPIRITUAL SELF
• Have a sense of what you are passionate about and why it matters in the big picture.
• Spending time by yourself and learning to live with silence is how we come to listen to our inner voice. This is a lesson the elders taught.
42
![Page 43: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/43.jpg)
KNOW YOUR VULNERABILITIES
• Every one of us has a weak point. The body compensates, but only when it has to.
• Our organ systems are all interrelated. Some are more susceptible to stress than others.
• What hurts first? The early warning signs…
• This is true on a larger agency scale as well.
43
![Page 44: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/44.jpg)
GOOD MENTAL HEALTH
• We need to pay attention to the symptoms we develop, our family history, and our level of distress/impairment.
• We need to trust that getting help is good.
• Identify our barriers (shame, guilt, fear).
44
![Page 45: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/45.jpg)
BREAK THE RULES
Play before work—the work is never done.
Have dessert before the veggies—your stomach can’t hold all the food.
Sleep as late as your teenager—make it a contest.
45
![Page 46: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/46.jpg)
You are never too old to have a happy
childhood.
![Page 47: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/47.jpg)
IT IS ALL CONNECTED
• The greatest predictor of positive outcomes for the clients we work with is the manner in which we interact with each other.
• Positive relationships and care in the work environment directly impact our ability to extend this to our client system.
47
![Page 48: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/48.jpg)
HOPE AND CONNECTION
• One of the greatest things we do to improve the lives of our defendants is to offer hope.
• Every opportunity we have to form a connection, however brief, is an opportunity to make a difference.
48
![Page 49: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/49.jpg)
Practice Play
49
![Page 50: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/50.jpg)
Embrace Learning
50
![Page 51: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/51.jpg)
Seek Laughter
51
![Page 52: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/52.jpg)
BELIEVE
Believe that you make a difference every day.
Believe in the power of the human spirit.
Believe in yourself and what you bring to the process.
52
![Page 53: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/53.jpg)
PUT YOUR HAND ON YOUR HEART
• Our physiology is hardwired to recognized this as a self-soothing gesture.
E. Millard (“The Power of Kindness”; ExperienceLife.com)
53
![Page 54: SECONDARY TRAUMA: THE SCIENCE AND ART OF SELF-CARE Deena McMahon MSW, LICSW McMahon Counseling and Consultation, LLC deena.mcmahon@gmail.com](https://reader030.vdocument.in/reader030/viewer/2022032605/56649e7a5503460f94b7a802/html5/thumbnails/54.jpg)
THE GIFT OF YOU
• If you could not feel their pain, you would not feel their joy.
• If you did not grieve their relapse, you could not celebrate their sobriety.
• If you could not understand their losses, you would not strive to help them make gains.
54