Few periods in recent history have been as challenging for the human service and healthcare workforce as the last couple of years. The pandemic forced us to drastically change how we deliver services with little time to plan as rates of trauma skyrocketed. Unlike other work stressors, COVID-19 transcends the work environment as it threatens our lives and those of our family and friends. Besides the fear of the virus, we saw a fight for racial justice, a financial crisis, and an intense and divisive political election and insurrection. As we enter 2023, many people are tired, traumatized, angry, and afraid.
The challenge facing us is clear: how do we recover our health and provide the best services possible for the people we serve? If not strategically addressed, our mental health threatens to lower our outcomes, devastate our organizational culture, and cost us financially in turnover, absenteeism, health care costs, and declining productivity.
Day 1 focuses on understanding what happened to us and creating a recovery or resiliency plan entering the new year. This session will help attendees find small changes that promote recovery and to ensure they have the energy and mental health to give their best to those they serve.
Day 2 focuses on leaders, managers, and those interested in helping organizations and teams recover and thrive. This session will challenge attendees to create a 2023 Recovery Plan while addressing the systematic issues that burned people out at alarming rates before the pandemic.
Eligible for 6 hours Certificate of Completion
Matt Bennett is a relentless advocate for trauma-informed care and other interventions that help people and communities heal. His passion manifests in his books Connecting Paradigms, Talking about Trauma & Change, Heart Variability, and Trauma-Sensitive Early Education as well as his Trauma-Informed Lens and Heart Rate Variability Podcasts. Mr. Bennett combines his masters’ degrees in community psychology and executive development/nonprofit management and business administration with his practical experience as a therapist and leader to develop research-based solutions to improve the health of individuals, staff, organizations, and systems.
As a sought-after trainer, Mr. Bennett utilizes a participant-centered approach, which includes interactions and adult learning activities to maximize learning, retention, and application. Mr. Bennett’s presentations are a dynamic dance of innovative research, practical applications, and a passion for the art and science of helping others.