Caring for the Caregivers: Professional Mental Health, Secondary Trauma, and Sustainable Advocacy

Session Description

Working with children and families impacted by abuse, neglect, violence, and trauma can take a profound emotional toll on professionals and volunteers. Over time, exposure to traumatic stories and difficult circumstances can contribute to secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and moral distress. These experiences not only affect individual well-being but can also influence decision-making, relationships, and the quality of support provided to children and families. This webinar explores the emotional impact of helping professions and provides practical strategies for promoting personal wellness, building resilience, and creating trauma-responsive organizations that support the people doing this critical work.

Learning Objectives

• Define secondary trauma, burnout, and compassion fatigue.

• Recognize signs of professional stress.

• Identify wellness and resilience strategies.

• Plan for sustainable professional wellness.

• Connect workforce well-being to family outcomes.

2026 - 2027 Louisiana CASA Webinar Series: Healthy Minds, Safe Children: Preventing Child Abuse Through Mental Health Awareness and Support

This eight-part webinar series explores how mental health awareness, early intervention, trauma-informed support, and strong community partnerships can help prevent child abuse and neglect. Participants will examine how caregiver wellness, childhood trauma, adolescent mental health, and family stress influence child safety while learning practical ways to recognize concerns early, strengthen protective factors, and connect families to support before crises occur.