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San Francisco Bay Area
This event was part of San Francisco Bay Area

Managing Vicarious Trauma

Hosted by CIIS

Managing Vicarious Trauma
Those of us involved with people who have serious illness are affected in deeply vulnerable ways. Caring for ourselves when others are suffering can be difficult. Tamara will offer a guide for coping.

Whether we are loved ones, caretakers, or healthcare professionals, witnessing serious illness impacts us in deeply personal ways. It can be hard to take care of ourselves while taking care of others.

This talk will offer coping strategies for those who are in a helping role and the unavoidable aspects of vicarious trauma that many of us face. Tamara will discuss how fear plays a major role in our thinking and behavior, yet, the emotion of fear is so often negated in our culture. Loneliness and isolation are common results of this. Coping and beginning to heal requires us to listen to and trust our thoughts and feelings, as well as managing the normal fight/flight responses that are common when witnessing someone at the end of their life.

Tamara will discuss how to navigate parts of the medical system, which do not allow space for thinking or reflection, as well as how to find social support that is truly meaningful. Grieving and the myth of so-called "normal" grieving will also be discussed.

Talk, Panel, & Conversation
Wellness