Description

Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the impacts vicarious trauma has on clinical social workers, including emotional regulation and competent decision-making.
2. Explain how attachment patterns, systemic factors, and clinicians’ personal trauma contribute to the susceptibility of vicarious trauma.
3. Identify and apply how professional self-care mitigates vicarious trauma at both individual and organizational levels.

Presenter Bio

Destiny Rose Uhrich, MSW, LMSW-C, is a Doctoral Candidate in the Doctor of Social Work program at the University of Kentucky with an expected graduation in May 2026. She began her academic journey at Delta College, where she earned an Associate of Arts degree and graduated with high honors. She later earned her Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degrees at Saginaw Valley State University.

Destiny’s experience in the social work profession includes serving as a clinical supervisor, therapist, practicum instructor, and Director of Education and Training at McDowell Healing Arts Center in Saginaw, Michigan. In addition to her clinical and supervisory roles, she has served as an adjunct professor and facilitated many community events on mental health. Destiny’s clinical work primarily focuses on supporting adults navigating anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and trauma-related concerns. Her professional interests, which align with her experience, include professional self-care, vicarious trauma, attachment-informed practice, and furthering both clinician and client well-being.

Destiny’s doctoral capstone project examines how professional self-care mitigates the impact of vicarious trauma on clinicians’ emotional regulation and decision-making. Upon completion of a systematic literature review, she developed a theory-informed framework that integrated attachment theory, ecological systems theory, and the wounded healer perspective. Furthermore, she created an attachment-informed professional self-care framework for clinicians to promote positive client outcomes.

Ultimately, through her professional and academic work, Destiny seeks to further ethical and sustainable clinical social work practice by promoting clinician well-being, reflective supervision, and trauma-informed care.

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)

Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.

Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/25-9/29/28. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.

Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.