Marshall University along with the Bureau for Social Services (BSS) are working to provide assessment, training and technical assistance to child welfare and community-based service providers who have experienced secondary trauma. Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the emotional duress that results when an individual hears about the firsthand trauma experiences of another person. Given the nature of their work, child welfare staff and community-based providers are at very high risk of developing STS, and they can be at risk of experiencing trauma first-hand.

Following a crisis event, the TSW team responds to the district to offer support and resources. A crisis event is defined by any event that causes strong emotional reactions that interfere with the ability to function with ones daily life. This includes critical incidents, workplace injury/death, death/severe injury of a client, death of another employee, workplace violence/threats, natural disasters.