Mindfulness-based Self-Care for Youth Services Workers
Duration: 2016 -
2019
Funding: Pennsylvania Department of Human Services
Principal Investigator: Sebrina L. Doyle Fosco
Partners: Pennsylvania Youth Development Centers
Description
In this community-based participatory research project, Penn State staff worked with a team from the Bureau of Juvenile Justice Services Division of Quality Improvement and Training Services to develop a sustainable self-care program for staff working in residential youth facilities across the Commonwealth. Elements of this self-care curriculum included brief mindfulness-based practices for stress management, emotion skills awareness and management, empathy and compassionate responding, and understanding of vicarious/secondary trauma.
Roundtable discussions on stress and self-care were
conducted with staff and supervisors at YDC/YFC facilities to identify primary
sources of stress for staff, self-care strategies currently being used
effectively, and optimal intervention points that occur throughout the day/week
to implement new self-care strategies. Additionally, baseline surveys were
completed by over 250 staff to collect information on sources and effects of
stress and self-care for program development and evaluation purposes. Finally,
BJJS Training Services staff and site-based peer coaches received training in mindfulness-based practices for stress management to assure
usability and sustainability of the program.