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Reply to "Distress after ACE training"

Mary Beth Colliins posted:

Our organization is sensitive when conducting trainings for a family recovery program that serves families with a parent in early addiction recovery.  Many staff and volunteers are attracted to this work because of great intention and compassion.  Some of that is rooted in issues in need of personal recovery and self care because of their own family environment and upbringing.   Some of these well intended are not aware they are ACOAs, or have not admitted to encountering trauma in other ways as a child.  The training and work in serving children and families dealing with trauma can be triggering, and we try to bring awareness of this issue to program directors.  With the concern of compassion fatigue, we encourage trainers and facilitators to model self care, and discuss the importance of providing appropriate breaks in between program cycles so that the facilators can rejeuvenate.  This type of direction is important for healthy adults, but even more important for those who have not dealt with childhood trauma and do not practice self care.   For the good of the program, we can appreciate that adults in need of healing themselves, who do not maintain healthy boundaries, and do not practice self care, are a concern when working with families who really need strong centered  support and direction.  We too need a stronger response when the triggering happens and facilitators identify with the need of their own healing.   It's good to see your post as this has been on my "I really need to do this" list but never actualized into a goal.  It's too important to not do.  I would encourage you to look to Dr. Tian Dayton, who is exceptional on this topic.  While she provides a plethora of material, a great start is with her book "The ACOA Trauma Syndrome."   

just emphasising the important need for careful selection, training, and "supervision" of people in human services -- "supervision" in brackets only because it has a range of meanings in different settings / disciplines --- meant only in the least judgemental, most supportive manner

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