Breaking the Chains — Reframing Trauma and Healing in Social Work Practice

Wednesday, December 10, 2025, 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m.

via ZOOM



Presented by Eugene Z. Bertrand 

1.5 CECs

*This workshop meets the 1-hour licensure requirement for Cultural Competency

This program provides social workers with a practice-based framework for reframing domestic violence and vicarious trauma through the lens of resilience. Grounded in social work values of empowerment, cultural competence, and systemic advocacy, the workshop uses Michael’s case — a 42-year-old father whose experience of partner abuse was overlooked because services were written for “women and children” — to illustrate how stigma impacts both survivors and service systems. Participants will engage in case analysis, reflection, and grounding exercises to strengthen their clinical skills, enhance inclusive assessment practices, and develop ecological strategies that disrupt generational harm. The training not only expands intervention approaches for survivors, but also offers tools for practitioners to mitigate vicarious trauma and sustain ethical, client-centered practice. 

Participant Objectives:  

• Reframe trauma into resilience by identifying strengths within survivor narratives. 
• Recognize stigma and professional blind spots that silence male survivors and apply inclusive intake and assessment practices. 
• Apply ecological and family-centered strategies to interrupt generational cycles of abuse. 
• Strengthen their own sustainability by integrating resilience-focused tools to address vicarious trauma and burnout. 
• Explicit case study of Michael’s Story, with analysis of stigma and resilience. 
• Small group breakouts to reflect on practice implications. 
• Guided activity for resilience-focused practitioner reflection. 
• A planning tool and resource handout for applying these shifts in practice. 

Click here to register.