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Self-Care for Library Staff: Understanding and Addressing Stress, Burnout, Vicarious Trauma, and Mental Health Challenges

An Infopeople Online Learning Course

Start:
February 13th, 2024 12:00 PM
End:
March 11th, 2024 4:30 PM
Fee per learner $200.00
Note for CA residents: California Libraries Learn (CALL) is sponsoring no-cost seats for California library staff in this Infopeople course. Please use this form to register for one of these no-cost seats. In order to gain the most impact from learning events sponsored by the CALL grant we ask that all participants engage fully (attend, participate, discuss and share). If you are unable or not willing to agree to this, please be kind and leave a seat or place for someone else.

 

Dawn BehrendInstructor: Dawn Behrend

Library staff in all settings are finding themselves facing more stressors than ever in their jobs, particularly following the economic and societal fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to managing these issues in their own lives, library personnel must have the capacity to support their communities as well.

This course will provide library staff with a better understanding of self-care, why it is so critical to their personal and vocational well-being, and tools to begin or improve their self-care journey. Participants will also learn about the risks of burnout and vicarious trauma, as well as strategies to create a personalized self-care plan to address potential mental health challenges related to or worsened by workplace stressors, such as depression and anxiety.

Course Description: The instructor will provide weekly resources, best practices, and guided activities to lead attendees in identifying wellness goals and setting them with measurable objectives. Additionally, this four-week course will include two interactive online sessions:

  • Thursday, 2/15/24 @ 10-11AM PT
  • Thursday, 2/22/24 @ 10-11AM PT

Please make every effort to ensure that you can attend these two meetings before enrolling in the course. If this is not possible, archived recordings will be made available.

By the end of this course participants will:

  • Define self-care and why it is important.
  • Identify the physical and emotional impacts of chronic stress.
  • Recognize and address the signs of burnout.
  • Increase awareness of the risk of vicarious trauma and strategies to mitigate impact.
  • Cultivate an understanding of boundaries and strategies to maintain healthy boundaries with others.
  • Develop self-care strategies to practice both at home and at work.
  • Create a personalized self-care plan.
  • Differentiate mental health challenges from burnout and vicarious trauma.
  • Learn how to find mental health treatment if needed.

Course Outline: When you log in to the Infopeople online learning site, you will see weekly modules with these topics:

  • Week 1: Learning about the impact of stress and the importance of self-care for well-being.
    • Define self-care and why it is important.
    • Identify the physical and emotional impacts of chronic stress.
  • Week 2:  Understanding the risks and signs of burnout and vicarious trauma for librarians.
    • Recognize and address the signs of burnout.
    • Increase awareness of the risk of vicarious trauma and strategies to mitigate impact.
  • Week 3:  Developing healthy boundaries and creating a self-care plan.
    • Identify self-care strategies to practice both at home and at work.
    • Conceptualize the importance of boundaries and how to maintain healthy boundaries both in one’s personal life and within the library/work setting.
    • Create a personalized self-care plan.
  • Week 4:   Recognizing the signs of mental health concerns beyond burnout and vicarious trauma, and how to find mental health treatment when needed.
    • Recognize signs of mental health concerns.
    • Learn how to find professional help if needed.

Time Required: To complete this course, you can expect to spend 2 ½ hours per week, for a total of ten course hours. Each week's module contains various options for assignments, discussions, or online meetings. You can choose the options most relevant to your work and interests. Although you can work on each module at your own pace, at any hour of the day or night, it is recommended that you complete each week's work within that week to stay in sync with other learners.

Who Should Take This Course: Library staff in all settings.

Do you work in a rural or tribal library? If so, you may be eligible for a course fee waiver for this course. This Infopeople course has up to five no-cost seats allocated for rural or tribal libraries. Fill out a fee waiver request, and if a no-cost seat is available you will be notified via email.

Keywords: self-care, trauma, burnout