This is a special time of year when everything is coming back to life again. As I am working on getting our garden back in shape, I can't help but be reminded of how this can also be an important time of renewal for us as trauma therapists - a time to weed out vicarious trauma and plant seeds of vicarious resilience!

Discover the heart and expertise behind The BRAVE Trauma Therapist Collective in our latest blog series to spotlight our amazing sponsors! Learn how they help trauma therapists work towards EMDR certifications, teach CEUs, and expand to international practice.

Unveiling BRAVE's new inclusive $9 membership for all trauma therapists. See how we're leveling the playing field, ensuring every therapist has access to the support and resources they deserve. Join us in shaping a community where growth, collaboration, and accessibility are at the heart of everything we do.

What if Vicarious Resilience could be your renewable source of self-care, the antithesis to weaponized self-care? It’s possible when you can recognize, install, and enhance Vicarious Resilience!

Whether you are a trauma therapist or not, you may have heard the terms Vicarious Trauma, Compassion Fatigue, and/or Secondary Traumatic Stress used in seemingly the same ways. That makes it seem like they are interchangeable but, news flash! They’re not.

The first cohort of Burned Out to BRAVE graduates are officially launched! We went on such an incredible journey together this summer, and I’m so excited to share all the completed free and paid offers with you.

You are no stranger to the emotional toll trauma work can take on you. Of course you’re committed to helping others, and as you do that, it's crucial to be aware of the challenges you face so you can prevent burnout and thrive in the work you love.

As trauma therapists, it's not always easy to hear the stories of pain and suffering day in and day out. And yet, we chose this path for a reason. Despite our passion, burnout and secondary traumatic stress are very real risks but finding supportive communities brings us closer to the joy we find in our work and the gift of vicarious resilience.

As trauma therapists, we understand the complex relationship between trauma and substance use. And yet, if you’re like me, you hesitate to ask about substance use if it’s not obviously a problem. Read how Betsy shares her immense wisdom about bringing up problematic substance use in empathic and non-judgmental ways.

Our work is heavy, and when we choose to address the common co-occurrence of substance use, it can feel like that weight will crush us. Fortunately, there is so much we can do to thrive in this work when we find a balance between our own vulnerability and strength.

Substance use is a complex and sensitive topic that often intersects with trauma therapy. By approaching this intersection with empathy, understanding, and a harm reduction mindset, we can help our clients navigate towards their goals while fostering growth, healing, and resilience.

Being a trauma therapists means we wear many hats, and we often try to keep them all nice, neat, and separated. This week, we have a Guest Blog post from Sarah Sanders, LMFT, and she shows us the power of showing up as an integrated self - trauma therapist side and all!

The Johari Window is about self-awareness but this week you’ll see how my brain has worked to adapt this age-old technique to help you Name Vicarious Trauma and share these experiences with the people who mean the most to you.

Despite the passion you have for this work, there's an inner voice that often goes unheard — your own. It's time to shatter the silence and acknowledge a truth: trauma therapists deserve to be cared for too.

We both know there is a deeper reason you keep doing this work. For me, it's because I really do see people get better.

What’s your reason?

If you're anything like me, you loathe the term Self-Care and yet you’re told almost every day that you need it, you should be doing it, and deep down you do know that it’s necessary.

Supervision is a sacred space with trainees.

Of course, the main goal is to process cases and strengthen clinical skills, but supervision is so much more than reporting updates and being told what to do next. It is an opportunity for Vicarious Resilience.

It’s no surprise that I think all trauma therapists should name our vicarious trauma on the regular. And, if you're anything like me, you're very happy to ignore VT and burnout signs!

To get myself out, or even to prevent spiraling, I realized that I needed a better reason to check in with my VT on the regular.

As a trauma therapist, you do such important work.

I know you love your specialty, I do too! But we can’t ignore the heavy emotional toll it takes on us. Let’s also not pretend that all the talk about “just practice self-care” doesn’t get to you.

As trauma therapists, we do profound work with our clients. This is inspiring and heavy.

Did you know diversifying your income could help reduce the burden of vicarious trauma in your life?