Introduction

Forensic Workforce Resiliency: Vicarious Trauma & Workplace Stress Webinar Series

Forensic Workforce Resiliency: Vicarious Trauma & Workplace Stress Webinar Series

Overview

Professionals throughout the criminal justice system are exposed to the aftermath of violent crime and its victims. These individuals may include forensic nurses, crime scene investigators, forensic practitioners, medicolegal death investigators, and other professionals in related fields. Research has shown that individuals exposed to disturbing situations may present symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and many rely on unhealthy coping mechanisms such as substance abuse and other forms of self-medication. This phenomenon is known as vicarious trauma because the person affected was exposed to the trauma through the course of their work and did not experience it themselves. Additionally, the police culture in which many forensic professionals operate tends to stress self-reliance, and many have reported a reluctance to seek assistance. Previous research efforts have examined resources and coping mechanisms for first responders, such as EMTs and police officers, but few have been focused on forensic professionals. This webinar series explores common strategies and resources derived from existing research and offers guidance to forensic practitioners and the broader criminal justice community on how they can be leveraged. Furthermore, recommended methods to maintain work force resiliency will be discussed.

Opportunities

If you are performing research or have a unique perspective to share on the topic of vicarious trauma and would like to use the FTCOE platform to showcase your work to the community, please contact us at ForensicCOE@rti.org. Research can be funded by the NIJ, other forensic funding agencies, or internally funded by your own institution. Our goal is to disseminate resources and best practices that have the potential to impact the criminal justice community as a whole!

Webinars

Psychological Survival in a Violent Career
This webinar originally occurred in 2018
Presenter: Dr. David Christiansen

Psychological Survival in a Violent Career - Follow Up
This webinar originally occurred on May 30, 2019
Presenter: Dr. David Christiansen

The Vicarious Trauma Toolkit - An Evidence-Informed Resource for Organizations
This webinar originally occurred on September 13, 2018
Presenters: Dr. Beth E. Molnar & Karen Irene Kalergis
**ABMDI credits available upon completion of webinar.**

Digital and Multimedia Forensics: The Impact of Disturbing Media
This webinar originally occurred on August 28, 2019
Presenter: Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar

Handling Difficult and Disturbing Forensic Cases for Coroners and Medical Examiners
This webinar originally occurred on October 17, 2019
Presenter: Dr. Elizabeth Brondolo

Stress, Vicarious Trauma, and Resiliency for Forensic Science Professionals
This webinar originally occurred on June 11, 2020
Presenters: Dr. Andrew Levin, Dr. Jonathan McGrath, Heidi Putney, & Danielle Crimmins

Tackling Employee Wellness: The Phoenix Police Department's Crime Lab Approach
This webinar originally occurred on June 18, 2020
Presenter: Dr. Jody Wolf

COVID-19 - Wellness and Operations
This webinar originally occurred on March 29, 2021
Presenters: Amy Jeanguenat, Dr. Andrew Levin, & Jamilla Dick-Quashie

Related Resources


Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence webinar series has been provided by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this webinar series are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Contact us at ForensicCOE@rti.org with any questions and subscribe to our newsletter for notifications.


Related Content

microphone and headphones

Just Workforce Resiliency for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Part 2

Original Release Date: November 5, 2021 In episode three of our Workforce Resiliency mini season, Just Science continues our conversation with Dr. Cara Berg Raunick, a women’s health nurse practitioner and the Director of Clinical Quality and Advancement at Health…
microphone and headphones

Just Workforce Resiliency for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Part 1

Original Release Date: October 29, 2021 In episode two of our Workforce Resiliency mini season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Cara Berg Raunick, a women’s health nurse practitioner and the Director of Clinical Quality and Advancement at Health Care Education and Training,…

Discussion of the FTCOE’s Guidance Document on Considerations for Photographic Documentation in Sexual Assault Cases

Publication Sexual Assault Report, January/February 2024 Author Mikalaa Martin | RTI International Overview In August 2022, the FTCOE published a report, Guidance Document on Considerations for Photographic Documentation in Sexual Assault Cases, which presents photographic documentation practices and techniques for…

White Paper – Information Sharing Between Medicolegal Death Investigators and Toxicology Testing Services

Date December 2023 Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-in partnership with its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International and the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-convened a virtual Medicolegal Death…

White Paper – Electronic Death Registry in Medicolegal Death Investigation

Date December 2023 Overview The National Institute of Justice (NIJ)-in partnership with its Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCOE) at RTI International and the National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-convened a virtual Medicolegal Death…