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Greg Merrill, LCSW, is currently the Director of Field Education at the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) School of Social Welfare, where he teaches graduate-level practice courses and seminars. Previously, he served as the social work supervisor with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Trauma Recovery and Rape Treatment Center, a nationally recognized program providing case management and psychotherapy to adult victims of crime. Mr. Merrill also served as the director of client and advocacy services for Community United Against Violence, a community-based organization providing counseling and advocacy to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender victims of violence.
He has received awards from the San Francisco Commission on the Status of Women and the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association for his contributions to the field of domestic violence. In 2007 and 2009, Mr. Merrill was voted Teacher of the Year by students at UC Berkeley School of Social Welfare.
Transforming Vicarious Trauma: A discussion about LEAP’s training curriculum with creator Greg Merrill, LCSW (26:11)
Please use the menu and times listed below to skip to key segments of the Transforming Vicarious Trauma Podcast.
Welcome and Introduction (00:00-1:00)
Dr. Leigh Kimberg, Executive Director of LEAP, introduces her guest Greg Merrill, LCSW, who developed LEAP’s training curriculum on vicarious traumatization
Defining vicarious traumatization (2:08-3:56)
What is vicarious traumatization, and how does it affect care providers?
Experiencing “trauma’s emotional wake” in the healthcare setting (3:57-5:33)
How are healthcare providers vulnerable to vicarious traumatization?
Understanding the significance of vicarious traumatization (6:43-9:27)
Greg Merrill shares his personal experience with developing an awareness of vicarious trauma, and an understanding of how to cope with it in his own life.
LEAP’s training objectives (11:12-12:38)
What should training participants take away from the experience?
The Mindfulness Exercise (14:28-17:46)
Description of the self-assessment exercise in LEAP’s training curriculum.
Review of LEAP’s training curriculum (18:20-21:47)
Descriptions of each item in LEAP’s vicarious traumatization training curriculum.
Item 1: Facilitating Discussion About Vicarious Trauma – “Training the Trainers” (18:20)
Item 2: Training Guide for Instructors (19:01)
Item 3: Self-Care for Caregivers PowerPoint Presentation (20:22)
Item 4: Tips for Self-Care (20:46)
Item 5: Training Evaluation Form (21:40)
Individualizing LEAP’s curriculum (21:47-25:11)
Greg Merrill shares examples of how he adapted and personalized LEAP’s training materials.
Wrap up (25:12-26:11) How to contact LEAP with your comments and questions.
To immediately leave this website site and go to a different, unrelated site, click the orange escape button (shown above) in the top right corner on our website. Please test this feature RIGHT NOW to ensure that it works properly and that you are familiar with its function.
Greg Merrill, LCSW, is currently the Director of Field Education at the University of California Berkeley (UC Berkeley) School of Social Welfare, where he teaches graduate-level practice courses and seminars. Previously, he served as the social work supervisor with the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) Trauma Recovery and Rape Treatment Center, a nationally recognized program providing case management and psychotherapy to adult victims of crime. Mr. Merrill also served as the director of client and advocacy services for Community United Against Violence, a community-based organization providing counseling and advocacy to gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender victims of violence. 
