Using the CE-CERT Model to Reduce Secondary Trauma and Burnout (Part 1)

Traditional approaches to reducing secondary traumatic stress (STS) or burnout involve individuals engaging in restorative practices after work. For decades, this has been the approach and professionals in the trauma field continue to burnout or experience levels of STS that result in them leaving the field. Rather than waiting to recover exclusively after work, the Components for Enhancing Clinician Experience and Reducing Trauma (CE-CERT) model developed by Brian Miller, Ph.D. proposes micro-interventions done throughout the day, because jogging and journaling just are not enough. Part-one of the presentation will provide an overview of the five skill domains (i.e., experiential engagement/feeling the feels, reducing rumination/stopping the spin, conscious narrative/assigning meaning to your story, reducing emotional labor/being energized by the work, and parasympathetic recovery/reset and recover). Part-two of the presentation will discuss strategies for implementation in the child advocacy center (CAC) setting.