“Our Strengths Are Our Downfalls, If We’re Not Careful”: Trauma-Informed Supervision for Disaster Social Work

While there is a growing body of literature on the importance of trauma-informed care for disaster survivors, there is relatively little known about the professional environments surrounding social workers who work within disasters, including the role of trauma-informed supervision. In the research reported here, authors explore the ways that trauma-informed supervision undergirds effective disaster case management. Data come from a series of interviews (N = 13) with disaster case managers (DCMs) working within a state office for emergency management and resilience. Using content analysis, authors analyze DCMs’ descriptions of how their working environments and supervisory models reflect principles of trauma-informed supervision. Findings point to multiple modes of trauma-informed supervision within disaster settings: demonstrating the importance of agencies and supervisors; recognizing the trauma workers face; creating and maintaining open and collaborative relationships within and among case managers; establishing trust, safety, and empowerment; and attending to issues of culture, history, and identity. In so doing, this work helps further understandings of dimensions of trauma-informed care that are critical for disaster contexts. These findings may be applied to social work supervision training and practice that helps avoid secondary stress and burnout among DCMs.