UK Trauma Council: Beyond Burnout - Surviving and thriving as a practitioner

About this webinar

As compassionate professionals, working with traumatised children and young people can have a profound emotional impact. It's essential to manage this impact effectively to prevent it from becoming overwhelming or causing lasting negative effects. Join us for an insightful session and unique opportunity to reflect, recharge, and learn how to sustain your passion and effectiveness in this vital work.

The psychological impact of trauma on both clients and practitioners

One of the most significant ways trauma manifests is by creating a sense of psychological isolation. This occurs when victims feel that others are unable to understand their behaviours and reactions, making it difficult for them to process or repair their trauma.

Over time, this perception of isolation can deepen, especially when a trauma victim's altered responses to social cues lead to fewer successful interactions with others. As a result, the network of supportive individuals who could potentially help make sense of the trauma and provide emotional support begins to shrink, turning psychological isolation into a social reality.

The role of mentalizing

Mentalizing is the ability to understand and interpret one's own and others' mental states, and it plays a crucial role in soothing, orienting, and facilitating emotional exploration and regulation.

However, this process can be fragile, particularly in emotionally intense situations. This vulnerability to disrupted mentalizing applies to both clients and workers in trauma-focused fields. Just as clients are affected by the trauma they experience, practitioners are also susceptible to vicarious trauma and the various anxieties that come with demanding work.

Applying mentalizing in practice: AMBIT

AMBIT (Adaptive Mentalization Based Integrative Treatment) offers a framework for practitioners to apply mentalizing principles systematically. This approach helps create a mentalizing team around the worker, promoting a supportive environment for the worker’s emotional well-being.

AMBIT also encourages the use of mentalizing techniques across extended inter-professional networks, ensuring that mentalizing remains central not only in direct client work but also in collaborative practice with colleagues.

Powering on, recharging, running on empty

The webinar explores the impact of delivering PTSD therapy on clinicians’ well-being. It examines emotional exhaustion, moral injury, and secondary traumatic stress, highlighting the role of leadership, peer support, and workplace culture.

Research findings emphasize the need for structured supervision, psychological safety, and stigma-free help-seeking. Effective interventions, including reflective practice and Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), are assessed. Practical strategies focus on fostering a supportive environment and sustainable workloads. The talk underscores that systemic workplace factors are crucial in protecting therapists' mental health and resilience.

Aims of this webinar

In this session, two leading experts will share practical strategies and evidence-based insights to help practitioners:

• protect their psychological wellbeing

• build resilience in the face of repeated exposure to traumatic stories

• support colleagues and teams to thrive in emotionally demanding roles.

Who is this webinar for?

The UKTC Insight Series webinars are aimed at professionals supporting children and young people who have experienced trauma.