Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff (VIRTUAL)
Tracks
Springbrook Room
| Wednesday, December 1, 2021 |
| 3:30 PM - 3:50 PM |
Overview
Chair: Ms Hayley Foster, Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia
Panel Members: Ms Fiona Cornforth, The Healing Foundation; Marika Kontellis, Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia & Tara Hunter – Director Counselling Services Full Stop Australia
Speaker
Dr Tracy Castelino
CEO
Shantiworks
Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff
Abstract
Please see Ms Hayley Foster
Biography
Dr Tracy Castelino - Shantiworks
Dr Tracy Castelino MSW PhD has been working in the field of violence against women for
more than 30 years. This has included direct service and management roles with women and children’s services and perpetrator intervention services. She continues to work with
women and children who have been subjected to violence in their homes and provides
supervision to domestic violence and men’s family violence teams.
Tracy is also a highly renowned consultant training and supervisor with extensive experience
delivering beyond cultural competency workshops in partnership with the Multicultural
Centre for Women's Health. These workshops offer a space to critically reflect upon one’s
own location, values, assumptions, and practices in the world and in one’s work, and to be
an active ally in challenging racism in all its forms and spaces.
Fiona Cornforth
CEO
The Healing Foundation
Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff
Abstract
Please see Ms Hayley Foster
Biography
Fiona Cornforth - Healing Foundation
Fiona is a Wuthathi descendant of the far northeast cape of Queensland with family roots
also in the Torres Strait Islands. She has an extensive background working as part of
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples’ community, business and government
initiatives for better outcomes and impact. She has used management degrees and tertiary
teaching accreditation to raise awareness around the impacts of intergenerational trauma
and the power and strengths of First Nations peoples’ cultures for healing.
Fiona has gained experience and perspectives in education, leadership, and business
development globally and shares a message of celebration and gratitude for the greatness
of ancestors, elders, and the ontology and authority that holds her and her family.
Ms Hayley Foster
CEO
Full Stop Australia
Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
The term ‘vicarious trauma’ is often associated with the cost of caring for others. It refers to
the detrimental impacts experienced by people who are indirectly exposed to traumatic
material, in particular workers in ‘helping professions’ such as disaster and emergency
services, police, health, social work, counselling, and frontline workers supporting clients
impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.
Vicarious trauma can have deleterious, cumulative, and prolonged effects on an individual’s
mental and physical wellbeing and can seriously undermine one’s ability to work in a role that
includes responding to traumatised clients. It presents a serious work, health and safety risk
for employers and managers, and can produce significant human and financial costs in the
following areas: employee physical and mental wellbeing, work performance, unplanned
absences, attrition rates, compensation claims, and workplace culture.
According to current research, the risk of vicarious traumatisation for professionals who work
in a trauma context cannot be fully eliminated. The effects of vicarious trauma can, however,
be ameliorated if they are made conscious and addressed proactively by organisations and
individuals. Organisations who manage vicarious trauma effectively build a culture of
psychological safety in the workplace.
The “Vicarious Trauma - How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff” panel presentation
will explore strategies workplaces can implement to create environments of safety, wellbeing
and resilience.
the detrimental impacts experienced by people who are indirectly exposed to traumatic
material, in particular workers in ‘helping professions’ such as disaster and emergency
services, police, health, social work, counselling, and frontline workers supporting clients
impacted by domestic, family and sexual violence.
Vicarious trauma can have deleterious, cumulative, and prolonged effects on an individual’s
mental and physical wellbeing and can seriously undermine one’s ability to work in a role that
includes responding to traumatised clients. It presents a serious work, health and safety risk
for employers and managers, and can produce significant human and financial costs in the
following areas: employee physical and mental wellbeing, work performance, unplanned
absences, attrition rates, compensation claims, and workplace culture.
According to current research, the risk of vicarious traumatisation for professionals who work
in a trauma context cannot be fully eliminated. The effects of vicarious trauma can, however,
be ameliorated if they are made conscious and addressed proactively by organisations and
individuals. Organisations who manage vicarious trauma effectively build a culture of
psychological safety in the workplace.
The “Vicarious Trauma - How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff” panel presentation
will explore strategies workplaces can implement to create environments of safety, wellbeing
and resilience.
Biography
Hayley has 20 years' experience in the community, health, justice and corporate sectors principally in the areas of sexual, domestic and family violence policy, practice and law reform.
Throughout this time, Hayley has worked with diverse population groups and organisations in metropolitan, regional, rural and remote settings, including in frontline specialist women and children’s services; violence prevention; accredited men’s behaviour change; family law practice; family disputes resolution; policy; law reform; advocacy; sector development; training and organisational management.
Hayley holds tertiary qualifications in business (economics and finance), law (first class honours and university medallist), dispute resolution, financial planning and political economics.
Hayley is deeply passionate about the work of specialist sexual, domestic and family violence services and the importance of having diverse voices represented in addressing the issues of gender inequality and gender-based violence. Her particular area of expertise is in the development of integrated, multi-sectorial strategies to address sexual, domestic and family violence, child safety, and family, civil and criminal injustice, and she brings a focus on evidence-to-action and genuine participatory research to her work in policy, practice and law reform.
Hayley is a member of the National Plan Advisory Group for the next National Plan to End Violence Against Women and Children.
Marika Kontellis
Training & Professional Services Manager
Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia
Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff (VIRTUAL)
Abstract
Please see Ms Hayley Foster
Biography
Marika Kontellis is Training & Professional Services Manager with R&DVSA. She has highly developed facilitation skills and an intuitive style that brings the best out of people. She is strategic and can assess operating environments with ease.
Her frontline social work experience brings credibility to her leadership advice when she supports social care organisations to understand their communities, predict future customer needs and honestly review service models. Marika is a past member of the Disability Council of NSW, the Guardianship Tribunal of NSW. Marika holds a BA in Welfare Studies, Bachelor Social Work, Master of Management in Community.
Lorraine Wright
Transforming Trauma, Transforming Lives
Vicarious Trauma – How We Support the Wellbeing of Frontline Staff
Abstract
Please see Ms Hayley Foster
Biography
Lorraine Wright - Transforming Trauma Transforming Lives
Lorraine is an Accredited Mental Health Social Worker in Private Practice who provides
Counselling and Supervision. She holds a Bachelor and a Masters in Social Work from
University of NSW and has over 20 years’ experience working in government and nongovernment services to support a diverse range of women and children impacted by
domestic, family and sexual violence, as well as first responder counsellors and
practitioners. Lorraine’s practice is trauma-informed, strength-based, and client-led, and
focusses on collaboration and empowerment.
