Trauma-Responsive Lawyering
Attorneys in large law firms, private practice, government agencies, and corporate settings routinely work with clients who have experienced trauma. The term “complex trauma” refers to the long-standing impact of interconnected forms of adversity, particularly when experienced in the context of formative attachment relationships. Significantly, the very adaptations that lead to resilience in the face of early adversity can cause long-term harm to individuals’ coping strategies, stress response, identity, and relationships in adulthood – including their relationship with an attorney or advocate. When trauma remains unaddressed, its effects can impede effective collaboration, harm the working alliance, confuse or distress the attorney, and cause the client to engage in behavior that’s counter to his or her own interests.
In this training, you will learn how to recognize the signs of complex trauma in a client; how to build an effective working alliance and foster the client’s ability to engage collaboratively; how to regulate a client during acutely stressful points in the legal process; and how to incorporate the key principles of trauma-responsive care into your practice. The training also reviews the phenomenon of empathic distress, the scientific term for what is sometimes called “vicarious trauma,” “secondary trauma,” “compassion fatigue,” or “burnout.” Attorneys are at high risk for empathic distress; however, because they typically don’t receive trauma-relevant training, they often miss the signs of empathic distress in themselves and their colleagues. This training will help you (and your organization) understand, recognize, and respond to empathic distress in a trauma-informed way.
PROGRAM FACULTY:
Dr. Dana Baerger received her J.D. from Cornell Law School in 1993 and her Ph.D. from Northwestern University in 1999. In 2000, she established her private psychotherapy practice in order to specialize in complex trauma and developmental posttraumatic stress. In addition to providing direct patient care, Dr. Baerger maintains an active teaching schedule, training both attorneys and mental health clinicians. She is known to be a dynamic speaker who is genuinely invested in her audience’s learning experience. Additional information about Dr. Baerger can be found at https://www.drbaerger.com/.
TIME:
This is a 4-hour training, given in one 4-hour block; the block will consist of either a morning or an afternoon session. The time will be specified when a training opens for registration.
9:00 AM – 1:00 PM in Central Time (U.S. and Canada)
1:00 AM – 5:00 PM in Central Time (U.S. and Canada)
DATES:
This training is given several times throughout the year to both general audiences and private groups. For information on when the next training will open for registration, please check this space or email info@greenwoodstreet.com.
LOCATION:
This will be a live presentation accessed via Zoom from your home or office. In order to participate, you will need a reliable Internet connection and a computer. This training typically includes clinical videotape and case material; please ensure that you have access to a private location from which to join.
CONTINUING LEGAL EDUCATION (CLE) CREDIT:
CLE requirements vary by state. This training is given several times throughout the year to participants from multiple states, as well as to private groups practicing within a single state. When a training opens for registration, information will be provided regarding the state(s) in which participants will be eligible for CLE credit. For more information on CLE credit, or to discuss the possibility of offering this training to a private group practicing within a single state, please email info@greenwoodstreet.com.
CANCELLATION POLICY:
For participants cancelling more than 14 days before a course begins, we will refund your course fee, less an administrative fee of 10% of the course fee.
For participants cancelling within 14 days prior to a course’s start date, we do not provide refunds, but we will provide a credit equal to the course fee, less an administrative fee of 10% of the course fee. This credit may be applied to any other Greenwood course that begins at least 36 months after your cancellation date.
For participants choosing to withdraw from a course after the course begins, no refunds or credits are provided.
Contact info@greenwoodstreet.com to request a refund or credit.
