Refining the PRACTICE Course for Trauma Professionals Across Organizational Roles to Enhance well-being and TF-CBT Competency.

Burnout and secondary traumatic stress (STS) are commonly experienced by mental health professionals working in the trauma field, which can have individual and organizational impacts. Protective factors against burnout and STS include using evidence-based treatment, having positive relationships, and focusing on self-care. This investigation sought to assess the impact of a self-care and relationship-care course for mental health professionals previously trained in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). To enhance their personal well-being, competency, and empathy for clients, participants were encouraged through didactics, interactive activities, and assignments to personally utilize the PRACTICE skills clients are taught in TF-CBT. This refined iteration of the course had a greater focus on TF-CBT competency, and included supervisor and senior leader breakout groups that addressed organizational issues. Forty-five mental health professionals (32 clinicians, 7 supervisors, 6 senior leaders) participated in the study; 41 completed both pre- and post-course surveys, 27 of whom also answered a qualitative prompt. From pre- to post-course, participants across roles reported significant increases in PRACTICE skills usage (