Welcome to Caring for Others, Caring for Ourselves: Trauma-Informed Care & Mental Health Basics for Direct Service Teams.

This course comprises four skill-based modules designed to enhance the mental health and well-being of clients and support direct service staff. The modules build sequentially, starting with the principles of trauma-informed care and their application in working with individuals and families. The next two modules cover an introduction to mental health, cultural considerations and stigma, assessing client risks, needs, and preferences, and guidance for making appropriate referrals. The final module addresses the impact of vicarious trauma on direct service staff and offers strategies to mitigate its effects and promote staff well-being. 

	Is this course for me?
	This course is for direct service staff and others who want to learn about how trauma affects clients, how to recognize when clients need extra support, and best practices when making referrals within the U.S. behavioral health system.
	How will I benefit from this course?
	On completion of this course, you will be able to: Identify the physiological impacts of trauma, key principles of trauma-informed care and best practices for working with individuals and families Understand common mental health symptoms and determine when additional support is necessary Evaluate risk, needs and preferences for appropriate mental health referrals Identify coping skills and self-care strategies that best support needs of direct service staff.
	How long will it take?
	This course should take you around 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete.
	How much does it cost?
	This course is free!
	Will I get a certificate at the end?
	Yes - you will be able to download a certificate once you have have completed all of the modules within the course.
	How do I start?
	Scroll to the top of the page and click on the    I agree -   Join course       button. This will take you through to the course content. You don't need to complete the course in one go - you can always continue later from where you left off.

Data protection and consent

This course was created and is administered by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). By joining this course, you are consenting to the IRC being given access to your Kaya profile information, including your name and email address, so that they can provide the course. This may require them to contact you. Your data will be anonymised before it is used for any analysis or reporting purposes. If you have any questions about this, please email learning@rescue.org