Practitioners working with families affected by substance use, trauma , conflict, and bereavement are regularly exposed to high levels of emotional intensity and complexity. Without structured reflection and support, this can lead to burnout, vicarious trauma, and workforce fatigue.

This advanced one-day course moves beyond basic self-care, supporting experienced practitioners to critically reflect on the emotional impact of their role and strengthen sustainable practice. Grounded in Adfam’s commitment to compassionate, family-centred work, the course recognises that practitioner wellbeing is essential to safe, effective support for affected others.

Participants will explore the psychological and organisational factors that contribute to burnout and develop a structured resilience framework that can be embedded in day-to-day practice.

• Date: Friday11th September 2026, 9.30am - 3.30pm
• Trainer: Lauren Booker
• Cost: £100

Learning outcomes:

• Define and differentiate between burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma
• Recognise systemic and individual contributors to practitioner fatigue
• Analyse early warning signs of stress in themselves and teams
• Apply reflective practice models to process complex emotional material
• Strengthen professional boundaries while maintaining empathy and relational practice
• Develop advanced resilience strategies that move beyond surface-level self-care
• Create a structured, realistic wellbeing and sustainability plan
• Consider how organisations can foster cultures that protect practitioner wellbeing

This course is ideal for experienced practitioners across substance misuse, family support, social care, health, and community services who want to deepen their resilience and sustain high-quality, compassionate practice.

This course takes places over Zoom, participants must be able to access Zoom to take part. Colleagues that register will be sent the Zoom link a week before the start of the training.

Please note this is an interactive course involving individual and group discussion and participation.

If you have any questions or require any additional information please email admin [at] adfam [dot] org [dot] uk.