Employees working in the field of public service and social welfare often extend help to others who go through tumultuous moments. In doing so, they also take into their psyche what transpired in the cases they work on, some of which can be traumatic. These influence their well-being, thus the need for an initiative that takes their wellness into consideration.

Child pornography and exploitation is a very sensitive topic yet a horrifying reality, and professionals from both the public and private sectors are employed to combat this abomination. But these professionals, are humans who also experience and suffer the psychological tolls of having to see, hear, and relive traumatic events over and over again. To prevent and aid such instances, organizations provide their employees programs to check on them psychologically and ensure their holistic wellness.

Duane Bowers is a licensed professional counselor, educator, certified clinical hypnotherapist, and author who specializes in supporting survivors of traumatic events like death and suicide. He joins Justice Clearinghouse as the resource speaker today to share the programs he curates and offers to employees who work with sensitive content like child pornography cases.

Some of the things learned from Duane’s discussion on this webinar are:

• The various groups that deal with child pornography (CP) content and their level of exposure to it.
• What Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is as defined in the DSM, and the different types of exposure that leads to PTSD.
• Trauma and what constitutes a traumatic event such as sudden, violent, and overwhelming events that result in feeling of helplessness.
• Typical trauma response symptoms such as difficulty concentrating, negativity, difficulty sleeping, dissociation, detachment, and depression.
• How cortisol, also known as the stress hormone floods our brains during traumatic incidents and how to reduce it.
• Activities that counter cortisol and allows the release of endorphins, the happy hormones.
• Secondary trauma that happens as a consequence of contact with a victim of a traumatic event, or knowledge or the details of such experience.
• Ways to destress, combat trauma through stress management techniques, and live a lifestyle that ensures resiliency.
• The elements and behaviors that promotes the building of resilience.
• Changes that indicate an individual has moved on from a traumatic past.
• Best practices when viewing content to avoid triggering trauma.
• Warnings and high-risk symptoms to watch out for.
• The various programs Duane designed for the different groups dealing with child pornography cases from content scraping to arrest.
• Research studies that provide evidence of the effectivity of a holistic approach to ensure employee wellness,
• Poll questions gauged the webinar attendees’ perception of each group’s exposure and participation in CP cases.