Leading Through the Weight of the Work: Care for Secondary Traumatic Stress

School administrators and supervisors play a critical role in shaping the conditions that allow educators and frontline school staff to sustain their work in the presence of student and community trauma. While school professionals regularly witness and respond to distress, crisis, and adversity, the cumulative exposure to these experiences can contribute to Secondary Traumatic Stress (STS) and these challenges can lead to staff retention and professional sustainability issues. This full-day, in person training is designed for school administrators and supervisors and focuses on the role of leadership in recognizing, assessing, and responding to STS within school communities. Through case examples, reflective discussion, and supervision frameworks, participants will examine how trauma exposure affects staff wellbeing, organizational culture, and school culture stability. Come spend time in community so the weight of the work is not carried alone as we explore supervisory strategies, organizational practices, and leadership approaches that promote self and staff wellness.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize and analyze the signs, symptoms, and organizational risk factors associated with Secondary Traumatic Stress among school staff and educators.
• Assess how leadership practices, organizational culture, and workplace conditions influence staff wellbeing, engagement, and retention in trauma-exposed school environments.
• Apply supervisory strategies that help administrators recognize and respond to Secondary TraumaticStress among staff.
• Identify leadership and organizational practices that promote ethical decision-making, collective care, and a professional culture that supports staff sustainability and retention.

About the Trainer:

Katrina Cisneros (she/her) is a bilingual LicenseIndependent Clinical Social Worker that has expertise working with chronically stressed individuals, families and communities in a variety of complex settings. She is a full time faculty member at the Graduate School of Social Work, University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. She provides staff support to a number of schools and community-based organizations in the Twin Cities and provides both processing and care and comfort opportunities for direct line staff on a regular basis. She enjoys teaching training and consulting in the areas of trauma informed approaches both in direct clinical practice and in organizations and systems. Providing clinical supervision to clinical trainees is one of her favorite roles and her community engaged passion always centers around changing conditions and systems with an emphasis on transformative justice. She also supports regular on the ground work in Tijuana, Mexico providing care to frontline medical staff and to the most vulnerable asylum seekers who are unjustly and dangerously awaiting entry at the border.