Self-care for Carers

Remember that supporting young people who have experience lots of trauma can be really difficult and stressful.  Physiologically “arousal is contagious”.  Whilst the practice of trauma-informed care can go a long way to reducing stress, finding other ways to look after yourself is important. Some people can experience ‘emotional burnout’ from providing this support.  This may look like feeling cynical or detached from the work, exhausted and overwhelmed or having a sense of ineffectiveness.

Being supported by both the agency that you are connected with is just as important as well as having your own self-care strategies.  How well does the agencies policies support a Trauma-informed care model?