Health & Wellbeing

Here you will find a list of useful resources on how best to look after your mental health and well-being.

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Emotional Support Guides

Preparing to work with disturbing material - Guide One

This guide is designed to help prepare for working with potentially disturbing records or content. This guide will:

1. Define the terms secondary trauma and compassion fatigue.

2. Give guidance on how to be better prepared to manage work which can be potentially traumatic.

3. Include simple principles and techniques which can help develop better coping mechanisms and resilience for this type of work.

Working with disturbing material - Guide Two

This guide is designed for staff to support them having dealt with disturbing records or content and where they are experiencing difficulties coping.

This guide will:

1. Give understanding of key warning signs and symptoms of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue.

2. Give guidance on how to manage these symptoms and the various stages we may go through when suffering from these conditions.

3. Give simple principles and techniques which can help manage disturbing thoughts, feelings and images associated with compassion fatigue and secondary trauma.

Guidance for Managers with staff working with disturbing material - Guide Three

Fact Sheet Number 9 Vicarious Trauma - American Counselling Associations

This guide is designed to provide guidance to managers about appropriate strategies and support measures that may be put in place to help their staff embark on a project using emotionally difficult content and any issues they may suffer arising from such work.

This guide will:

1. Give understanding of key warning signs and symptoms of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue which may manifest in staff and how to spot these.

2. Give guidance on how to help and assist staff who may find themselves in the various stages of compassion fatigue and secondary trauma.

3. Help to develop a greater understanding of what works to support staff and techniques to help move them forward in times of difficulty

Below are a selection of other resources that may be helpful

Public Health Agency

A simple to follow guide from the Public Health Agency on the five steps to looking after your mental health.

Mental Health Guidance

NHS Every Mind Matters

Useful advice around stress, anxiety, trouble sleeping, low mood and where to get urgent support if needed. There is also support should you know of close ones that are struggling with their mental health through this time.

www.nhs.uk/oneyou/every-mind-matters