Dr. Bassett-Cameron's training helped our Student Affairs Masters students determine the ways we face vicarious trauma in our daily work and the higher education environment as well as how this trauma affects us through compassion satisfaction, fatigue, and burnout.
The workshop was engaging and informative and allowed us to identify much-needed strategies and resources for self-care to combat these common issues.
Brigette Kinkade
MEd College Student Affairs Administration
University of Georgia
Vicarious Trauma Workshops
This workshop was first designed for Title IX Agents, defined as higher education professionals who have direct contact and responsibility for sexual misconduct cases. Additionally, staff from University Student Affairs, Campus Safety, Legal Affairs, and many other departments have found value in this topic. Since this workshop was first designed in 2019, it has evolved to include all educators (K-12 and higher edu), student leaders, law enforcement, social workers, medical professionals and other helping professionals.
Ending 2025, this workshop has been facilitated hundreds of times to a variety of private and public audiences, nationally and internationally and in a variety of formats including in-person day long retreats to presentations online.
All helping professions (Law Enforcement and Legal Services, Clergy, Social Services, Medical, Emergency Disaster Relief, and Educators) have indicated this training was validating, helpful and participants often state it was a “good use of their time.”
The purpose of this workshop is to provide professions with information and skills to effectively identify and process vicarious trauma. The training is engaging, interactive, and provides participants with numerous self-care and group-care tools.
The design options include large to small scale audiences, in-person as well as remote delivery and can include a guidebook for references.
Trigger Warning
As Figley (1995) coined, there is “a cost to caring” and professionals who hear clients’ stories of fear, pain and suffering may feel similar fear, pain and suffering because they care (Figley, 2013). With the national average of 50% of women and 60% of men in the United States being exposed to a potentially traumatizing event (Stamm, Varra, Pearlman, & Giller, n.d), it is vital that we uncover, discover and explore how professionals manage their vicarious trauma, in an effort to reduce burnout (Bassett, 2019).
Topics that may generate vicarious trauma in the education sector may include gesture of self harm and suicide, physical and sexual assault, Title IX situations, academic issues, and other life events.
Topics that impact other sectors include but are not limited to accidents, loss of life including suicide, physical and sexual abuse, child abuse, substance abuse, natural disasters, federal and state laws and regulations, gun violence and active shooter situations, relationship violence and situations, food and home loss, and other criminal or natural catastrophes.
"From the very beginning of the day, Jill created an atmosphere that encouraged folks to be open and honest with what they shared and, more importantly, the real life experiences she regularly had us privately reflecting on through activities. While we were discussing emotionally intense and sensitive topics, her sense of humor and frankness made things feel more approachable without veering so vulnerable that conversations devolved into oversharing of personal details that would be better processed in smaller, private conversations."
System Office of Maine retreat participate, 2025
"I had the opportunity to attend the webinar, 'Understanding Your Vicarious Trauma: During COVID-19 and Beyond' by Dr. Jill Bassett and it was definitely MORE than what I expected. Working in Higher Ed, we understand, loosely, what vicarious trauma is but her talk really put into perspective what vicarious trauma is 'not' and also covering critical tools and how to apply them in our day-to-day interactions with our students and colleagues. I took away so many great tools! Including very cool information on sensory care and different books and online resources! This talk was 100% worth the time. I actually wish it was longer! A must for Higher Ed. Professionals who work in the areas of Title IX, Residential Life and any involvement on a Care Team at your institution. Thank you, Dr. Jill, for sharing your critical research!"
Kenna Grant, MS, HHC
*Title IX encompasses sexual misconduct violations, which include all forms of sexual harassment, sexual violence (verbal, physical, and sexual assault), sexual discrimination, domestic violence (intimate partner violence), dating violence, and stalking. Additionally, Vicarious Trauma can be experienced by any situation that produces trauma such as crisis situations, health-related incidents or deaths, life hardship, and/or natural disasters.
These workshops provide peer institutions/professionals with new and creative ways to educate on topics of Title IX and compliance. I provide the institution with activities, resources, and team building techniques that are reported to increase morale and work performance.
These workshops are available for in-person or virtual workshops, as well as one-on-one sessions.
Professional Training Workshops
Professional Workshops Offered
Fact Finding
Weighing Evidence
Student Conduct Interviewing
Educational Sanctions
Student Development Theory
Ethical Student Conduct Reasoning Framework
Implicit Bias Exercise Assessment for Conduct
Quantitative vs Qualitative Reasoning/Questioning
Student Conduct/Title IX Hearing Boards
How To: Select, Train, and Retain Faculty