30 April 2027 | 9am-1pm AEST | Online workshop | → Register Now!
13 August 2027 | 9am-1pm AEST | Online workshop | → Register Now!
Do you support people affected by trauma, displacement or adversity? Are you looking for practical ways to manage the emotional impact of this work, prevent burnout and protect your wellbeing?
The Managing Vicarious Trauma and Burnout Workshop is an evidence-informed, practical and reflective training for professionals working in trauma-exposed roles. Drawing on research, neuroscience and trauma-informed practice, this workshop goes beyond traditional approaches to self-care to explore how trauma-exposed work affects the brain, body, professional practice and workplace.
You’ll use the internationally recognised Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) to reflect on your own compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress, explore practical nervous-system regulation strategies, and develop a personalised approach to sustaining your wellbeing at work.
WHY THIS WORKSHOP MATTERS
Supporting people who have experienced trauma can be deeply meaningful and rewarding but repeated exposure to distress can also affect your emotions, nervous system, relationships, worldview and professional practice.
Understanding vicarious trauma, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue and burnout can help you recognise warning signs early and respond effectively. But wellbeing is not simply an individual responsibility. This workshop also explores how psychological safety, supervision, workload, workplace culture and psychosocial risk management contribute to healthier, more sustainable workplaces.
You’ll leave with practical strategies you can apply to yourself and your work, as well as a deeper understanding of how trauma-exposed work can lead not only to stress, but also to compassion satisfaction, vicarious resilience and growth.
WHAT YOU’LL LEARN
Assess Your Professional Quality of Life with ProQOL
Use the Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL) to explore compassion satisfaction, burnout and secondary traumatic stress and reflect on what your results mean for your own wellbeing.
Recognise Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue and Burnout
Understand the differences and overlap between these experiences, including common warning signs, risk factors and impacts.
Understand How Trauma-Exposed Work Affects the Nervous System
Explore mirror neurons, neuroception, co-regulation and the Window of Tolerance, and learn why empathy and repeated exposure to distress can affect helpers physiologically as well as emotionally.
Strengthen Professional Boundaries and Self-Awareness
Explore transference, countertransference, over-involvement and the rescuer dynamic, and learn how reflective practice and healthy boundaries protect both you and the people you support.
Strengthen Professional Boundaries and Self-Awareness
Explore transference, countertransference, over-involvement and the rescuer dynamic, and learn how reflective practice and healthy boundaries protect both you and the people you support. Learn to recognise patterns such as rescuing, over-involvement and emotional withdrawal from clients, and develop strategies to maintain effective professional boundaries.
Build Your Toolkit for Self-Regulation and Self-Care
Practise grounding, breathing, mindfulness, somatic regulation and self-compassion. Explore the SEEDS framework — Social Connection, Exercise, Education, Diet and Sleep — and develop a realistic, personalised self-care plan.
Understand Psychological Safety and Organisational Responsibility
Explore how supervision, manageable workloads, peer support and psychologically safe workplaces can reduce risk, and understand the role of psychosocial risk management in protecting worker wellbeing.
Discover Vicarious Resilience and Growth
Explore compassion satisfaction, vicarious resilience and post-traumatic growth, and how witnessing the courage, survival and recovery of others can strengthen your own sense of hope, purpose and meaning.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
- Counsellors, psychologists and therapists
- Social workers, caseworkers and youth workers
- Healthcare and community service professionals
- Educators and school wellbeing staff
- Settlement and refugee support workers
- Managers and supervisors of trauma-exposed teams
- Administrative and support staff in trauma-exposed services
- Community leaders, volunteers and peer workers
- Anyone regularly exposed to trauma or distress through their work
Whether you are new to trauma-exposed work or have years of experience, this workshop offers an opportunity to check in with your professional wellbeing, understand what is happening beneath the surface, and build practical strategies to stay well and sustain the work that matters to you.
Our Trainer – Nooria Mehraby
Senior Clinician/Trainer
Herself a former refugee, Nooria has more than 30 years’ experience working with refugees both overseas and here in Australia. This includes over 25 years at STARTTS. Nooria first trained as a medical doctor in her native Afghanistan and later obtained a Master of Counselling with Distinction in Australia. Nooria is an experienced national and international conference speaker and is the author of multiple publications (including textbook contributions) on refugee trauma, cross-cultural approaches and working with children. Nooria has lectured in various universities in NSW and has facilitated clinical workshops across Australia. In her current position as STARTTS’ Senior Clinician/ Trainer, she brings clinical expertise to STARTTS’ wide range of training programs and regularly delivers workshops to service providers. Read more….
I would highly recommend this workshop for anyone in a helping profession
FORMAT AND INCLUSIONS
- Online and in-person delivery
- Facilitated by an experienced trauma-informed practitioner
- Includes interactive activities, real-life scenarios, and skill practice
- Claim 4 CPD points
- Receive a certificate of completion
- Receive a PDF of the workshop slides
COST
Early Bird – $250 | $210 concession (5 tickets available, ends 2 months before event)
Standard – $275 | $230 concession
DON’T MISS OUT – LIMITED SPOTS AVAILABLE
Reserve you place today via secure online payment and empower yourself with self-care strategies to work more effectively with people with complex trauma.
- 30 April 2027 | 9am-1pm AEST | Online workshop | → Register Now!
BRING THIS WORKSHOP TO YOUR TEAM
Would your team benefit from tailored, trauma-informed training? This workshop is available as an online and in-person in-house session (in-person available in Sydney only), customised to meet the specific needs of your staff, clients, or community. Visit our Request Training page for details on pricing, availability, and how to book.
Plan ahead: Due to high demand, we recommend submitting your request at least 6–8 weeks in advance to secure your preferred date. Empower your team with the confidence, skills, and cultural sensitivity to support refugee and asylum seeker communities effectively.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Payment of the registration fee is online by credit card and a receipt/confirmation will be automatically emailed to you. An administration fee of $30 applies to all cancellations made more than 14 days the day before the start of the event. Registration once paid cannot be cancelled 14 days or less the day before the start of the event, regardless of personal circumstances. Registration can be transferred to another delegate only if STARTTS is informed of the name change. Registration cannot be transferred to another workshop. The concession price is for full-time students, seniors and the unemployed. A photocopy or pdf of a valid concession card must be forwarded to the STARTTS training team upon registration. Registrations will not be confirmed until full payment is received. The deadlines for the early bird and standard prices cannot be extended. Sometimes STARTTS will need to change the trainer of a particular workshop. The STARTTS Training Team can be contacted at stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au or (02) 9646 6700.
CONTACT US
stts-training@health.nsw.gov.au
(02) 9646 6700 Ask for the Training Administration Officer