"Expressions in Multimedia" by Martha G. Trask "Secondary Effects" by Jeff Ostergren Join us for a reception Thursday, May 22, from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Celeste LeWitt Gallery. (north side of the food court)Martha G. Trask is an expressive mixed media artist who happens to work in our library.Jeff Ostergren infuses his paint with actual medications to tell stories about the intertwined histories of pharmaceuticals and color.

Participants requesting CME credit must complete the verification/evaluation assignment from MyEvaluations.com (https://www.myevaluations.com/) for each case conference session for which they wish to receive CME credit. My Evaluations will email participants with instructions. Please complete the review within one week of receiving the email, as submissions must be received in time to be considered for credit.

For the full class schedule, descriptions, and to register, please visit the UConn Recreation website (https://recreation.uconn.edu/group-fitness-schedule/).

This year's lecture will be delivered by: Dr. Michael Haglund, MD Duke Neurosurgery Raleigh, North CarolinaTitle: "Global Neurosurgery" Time and Date: 7:00 am - 8:00 am on Wednesday, June 18th, 2025 In-Person: The Brain & Spine Institute, 5 Munson Rd, Lower Level, Conference Room B (MN B003) WebEx link: Please use the link to attend this lecture.   The University of Connecticut School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 1 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™   Hosted by: Ketan R. Bulsara, MD, MBA (https://health.uconn.edu/neurosurgery/message-from-the-chair/)   Sponsored by the Department of Neurosurgery, the Brain and Spine Institute, and the UConn Health School of Medicine.

Recently social service agencies have been acknowledging the effects of working with, feeling empathy for, and having responsibility for trauma survivors. Whether this effect is referred to as vicarious trauma (VT) or secondary traumatic stress, there is no doubt that the work can influence the treater's world view, their sense of safety, their own relationships, their sense of hope and their energy and enthusiasm for their work. However, agencies often take the approach that this is mainly an individual problem, to be solved by the treater on their own time and at their own expense with self-care and good boundaries. This presentation will challenge some of the myths of vicarious trauma, such as that work is entirely depleting and that home life is entirely fulfilling; and that there is such a thing as work-life balance. The book Reducing Secondary Traumatic Stress: Skills for Sustaining a Career in the Helping Professions by Brian C. Miller (2022 Routledge) will provide the scaffolding for specific techniques that can help our workers retain and grow their hope and energy in the work, and thus reduce turnover. We will cover areas such as: debunking the myths of VT; developing skills to enhance our work lives; understanding that appreciating intensity rather than avoiding it helps us thrive; bringing joy into our work lives; developing radical compassion; and recovering from crisis. . We will also explore the assumption that trauma encounters are inherently fatiguing. We will investigate the premise that The cure for exhaustion is not rest- it is wholeheartedness. Participants will leave the workshop with action steps to bring to their agencies. Learning Objectives: Participants will be able to: Identify three myths about vicarious trauma and their alternative truths. List eight skills to sustain treaters in their jobs, and create agency plans to teach and support these skills. Develop three strategies to increase the joy in their workplaces. Identify three actions to create agency structures to support treaters in recovering from crisis.