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2.06 | FOUNDATIONS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE - Navigating vicarious trauma and strategies for self-care

eLEARNING SERIESFOUNDATIONS OF TRAUMA-INFORMED CARE
MODULE NAMENavigating vicarious trauma and strategies for self-care
MODULE NUMBER

Module 4 of 4

NB: The modules in this eLearning series are designed to be completed in order.

LEARNING LEVELLevel 2 – Core AOD Skills
TARGET AUDIENCERecommended for all staff and volunteers in AOD, mental health, and social and emotional wellbeing settings, including management, administration, and ancillary staff members.
MODULE AIMTo equip you with practical strategies to recognise, prevent, and manage vicarious trauma, while strengthening personal wellbeing and professional resilience.
LEARNING OUTCOMES

By the end of this module you will be able to:

  • define vicarious trauma and understand how it differs from related concepts like secondary traumatic stress and burnout
  • identify common signs and symptoms of vicarious trauma across emotional, physical, cognitive, and relational domains
  • recognise risk factors at the personal, professional, and systemic levels that contribute to vicarious trauma
  • explore the potential for growth, such as vicarious resilience and compassion satisfaction
  • implement evidence-informed self-care and self-compassion strategies that support sustainable practice
  • understand the protective role of social support and supervision in managing vicarious trauma
  • access tools and resources, such as the ProQOL and Insight’s Worker Wellbeing Toolkit, to monitor wellbeing and seek support
LENGTH30 minutes
CPDParticipation in this activity may contribute to CPD. A Statement of Completion will be issued on completion of this module. 
REFERENCE LISTThe full reference list for this module is available on request.
SUGGESTED CITATIONInsight: Centre for AOD Training and Workforce Development. Foundations of trauma-informed care: Navigating vicarious trauma and strategies for self-care. Brisbane: Queensland Health; 2025. Available from: https://insight.qld.edu.au/training/elearning
COPYRIGHT INFORMATIONThis resource is licensed under Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). This license requires that reusers give credit to the creator. It allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, even for commercial purposes.
LAST UPDATEDOctober 2025
REVIEW AND FEEDBACKAs part of our commitment to continuous quality improvement our eLearning modules undergo a minor review every 2 years, and a major review every 4 years. All evaluation responses are carefully considered during these reviews.  If you have significant or urgent feedback, we encourage you to email us directly at insight@health.qld.gov.au