The Wayne State Wuniversity Women in Medicine and Science (WIMS) invites you to join us for a special interactive discussion.

Special guest speaker Miriam Engstrom, PsyD, LP, will talk on secondary trauma and the emotional impact of caring for others. Dr. Engstrom will discuss how clinicians and caregivers often encounter powerful stories of trauma in their work - and how, unlike in movies or media, our patients do not come with trigger warnings. She will explore strategies for recognizing and managing secondary trauma, maintaining empathy without burnout, and caring for ourselves while caring for others.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Define secondary trauma and vicarious trauma and describe how repeated exposure to patients’ traumatic experiences can affect clinicians and caregivers.
2. Recognize common emotional, cognitive, and physical signs of secondary trauma and compassion fatigue in healthcare professionals.
3. Discuss the impact of trauma narratives in clinical encounters, including how unexpected disclosures (“no trigger warnings”) can affect clinicians’ emotional responses and clinical practice.
4. Identify practical strategies to maintain empathy while preventing burnout, including boundary setting, reflective practice, and trauma-informed approaches.
5. Apply evidence-based self-care and resilience strategies that support clinician well-being while sustaining compassionate care for patients experiencing trauma.

Guest Speaker

Miriam Engstrom, PsyD, LP has experience working with adults, children, adolescents, families, and couples, both in the United States and abroad. She is trained in several therapeutic approaches, including Humanistic, Cognitive Behavioral, and Client-Centered therapies, and has additional training in bipolar disorders, substance use disorders, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), crisis intervention, and is an EMDR-certified therapist.

She has worked overseas with refugees and survivors of human trafficking while maintaining an international private practice treating diplomats in both Ukraine and Turkey. In recognition of her service, she received the 2016 Secretary of State Award, European Division, for Outstanding Volunteerism Abroad. She is also the Co-Founder of the Michigan Tri-County Trauma Recovery Network, which was established to provide a database of EMDR-trained clinicians who offer up to ten pro bono sessions for frontline workers and first responders.