Experts Dr. Beth Molnar, Northeastern University, and Karen Kalergis, Northeastern University Consultant, provide an overview of the OVC Vicarious Trauma Toolkit and how to use the toolkit to help your organization become trauma-informed in this recorded webinar.

This guidebook is written for those indi­viduals who have chosen to dedicate a time in their life to work with abused women, children and their abusers. It attempts to recognize the unique experi­ence of anti-violence workers in Canada and to promote individual, professional and organizational solutions to support them.Vicarious trauma is one outcome of this work. The effects of vicarious trauma are cumulative and build upon memories obtained through listening to the stories of one inhumane act of cruelty after another. This creates a permanent, subtle or marked change in the personal, political, spiritual and professional outlook of the counsellor or advocate. Vicarious trauma has a life-changing effect on individuals, ultimately affecting their view of the world and their relationships and connections to families, friends …

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit (VTT) was developed on the premise that exposure to the traumatic experiences of other people—known as vicarious trauma—is an inevitable occupational challenge for the fields of victim services, emergency medical services, fire services, law enforcement, and other allied professionals; however, organizations can mitigate the potentially negative effects of trauma exposure by becoming vicarious trauma-informed.