What We Do

The CSW Trauma and Resilience at Work team advances workplaces and workforces that are culturally responsive, trauma-informed, healing-centered, resilience-building, and supportive of mental well-being. CSW works with partners and stakeholders to reduce the stigma of trauma and mental health in workforce development and the workplace; educate employees at all levels within organizations on trauma, resilience, and mental health; advance trauma-informed, resilience-building, and mental health supportive organizations and companies; and promote policies and systems that codify and sustain this work.

Who We Work With

We work with agencies and organizations in workforce development, human services, adult and postsecondary education, nonprofit employment and training, and related sectors, and well as private-sector employers. We do this work in the context of advancing worker success, racial equity and inclusion, job quality, economic mobility, and fair and safe workplaces.

How We Do It

• Training Initiatives
• Strategy Development
• Organizational Coaching
• Research & Field-building

Featured Case Study: Detroit at Work

CSW has provided trauma and resilience training and organizational coaching for the Detroit at Work public workforce development system since May 2021. We provide training sessions for staff to better understand how toxic stress and trauma impact them, their colleagues, and their workforce development customers, including topics on racial trauma, work stress, and others. Training sessions also include how to promote healing and build resilience for ourselves, our customers, our colleagues, and our organizations. Each training includes interactivity and experiential learning to practice new skills.

CSW also provides organizational coaching to the nine adult career centers and eight youth career centers in the city to help them cultivate healthier workplace cultures to improve job satisfaction, staff retention, and performance. We support a cadre of Trauma and Resilience Ambassadors to sustain a focus on trauma, healing, and resilience in their centers through ongoing support for staff and leaders.

Self-reported assessments indicate that the more staff engage in trauma and resilience sessions, the more useful they are and the more they use the new knowledge and skills in their work. Sixty-seven percent of staff who attended 1-3 sessions in the first year of the trainings agreed or strongly agreed that the trainings were useful. This percentage increased to 76% for staff who attended 4-6 trainings and 75% for staff who attended 7 or more trainings. A similar pattern is found regarding whether staff use the information from the trainings in their professional work. Fifty-three percent of staff who attended 1-3 trainings did; whereas, 76% of staff who attended 4-6 trainings did. Overall, between 76% and 81% of staff would recommend the trainings and sessions be offered to others.

Recent Clients & Selected Work

• Integrating Resilience-Building Strategies for Older Workers
  AARP Foundation
• Introduction to Culturally Responsive Trauma-Informed and Resilience Building Practices
  EASTBAYWorks (EBW)
• Introduction to Trauma and Resilience Training
  Massachusetts Workforce Association and Boston Foundation SkillWorks
• Introduction to Trauma and Resilience in Workforce Development Training
  Missouri Department of Higher Education and Workforce Development
• Introduction to Trauma and Resilience in Workforce Training
  United Way of Metropolitan Dallas
• Strengthening the Substance Use Workforce by Addressing Secondary Trauma through Healing Centered Restorative Engagement
  New Hampshire Technical Assistance Center for Substance Use Disorders
• A Trauma-Informed Approach to Workforce
  National Fund for Workforce Solutions
• Trauma-informed Training and Resilience-building with the Workforce System
  National Governors Association
• Workplace Mental Health Workgroup
  Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity

Featured Reports & Publications

Recent Posts on Trauma & Resilience

Healing from Community Violence: Resources & Suggestions

Due to ongoing community violence, we would like to reshare our blog: How to Promote Workplace Healing and Resilience Following Community Violence.  In addition, we want to highlight the below three strategies to aid in the healing.

1. Hold space in all staff meetings to acknowledge current events and allow staff to process.

2. Consider establishing a standing grief circle to provide emotional support to staff.

3. Work to create an overall workplace culture that is trauma-informed and resilience-building.

Practical resources for conducting grief and healing circles are:

• Basic Guidelines for Calling a Circle from the Circle Way: an informative two-page guide for calling and facilitating a circle.
• Virtual Grief Circles: A Hosting Guide from the Circle Way: an in-depth guide to hosting virtual grief circles from how to invite folks and prepare as the host; the agenda and flow of the session itself; and how to follow up afterwards.
• SAMHSA Disaster Distress Helpline: call or text 1-800-985-5990 for crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters.  Available 24/7, 365 days a year.
• Grief and Healing Circles Script: provides an agenda template for use as a crisis intervention as a first step in hopefully subsequent circles.
• Trauma-Informed Restorative Practices: defines trauma; lists potential causes of trauma and trauma stress responses/symptoms; and includes guiding questions and tips for facilitating.
• How to talk as a classroom about gun violence in schools: provides specific steps, activities, and examples using real-life school shooting incidents.

Meet the Trauma & Resilience at Work Team:

Learn More About Trauma & Resilience at Work