GRANITE FALLS — They help people in crisis and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault. But at a recent training event, members of regional advocacy groups also focused on how to support their own workers’ wellbeing.

This week, about 20 advocates with WoMen’s Rural Advocacy Programs, and Safe Avenues of Willmar, took part in a regional training workshop in Granite Falls. The training focused on understanding how trauma and chronic stress can affect advocates and organizations.

“Any type of social work profession has a higher rate of burnout for employees,” said WRAP Executive Director Becci ten Bensel. Clients at organizations like WRAP are often going through traumatic experiences. “Our advocates are empathetic, and a lot of times they end up carrying it home with them.”

Part of the training conference was about finding strategies to cope with that stress and build resilience, ten Bensel said.

The training was made possible through support from the Southwest Initiative Foundation, ten Bensel said. Nancy Fasching, SWIF’s vice president for community impact, nominated WRAP and Safe Avenues to participate in the workshop in recognition of the often challenging work advocates do supporting survivors in rural communities.

WRAP provides a variety of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking and youth advocacy services in Lincoln, Lyon, Redwood and Yellow Medicine counties. Safe Avenues also provides advocacy and support services for victims of domestic and sexual violence in Kandiyohi, Meeker, McLeod, Renville, Swift, Chippewa and Lac qui Parle counties.

The workshop, which was held Wednesday at the YES! House in Granite Falls, talked about how trauma and chronic stress can affect the body and mind. Participants also learned strategies to help regulate stress.

“It really gave us the opportunity to slow down and take a minute,” ten Bensel said. “If we aren’t taking care of ourselves, we can’t take care of others.”

Ten Bensel said WRAP staff are trauma-certified, and have done different forms of training and attended training conferences in the past.

“This one was nice because it brought (the training) to our community,” she said.

It was also positive to get a chance to attend with advocates from Safe Avenues, who work together with WRAP, she said.

“They help us with our crisis lines,” ten Bensel said.

Ten Bensel said area advocates were thankful to SWIF for organizing the training conference.

“We were very grateful for the opportunity, and to be recognized for the hard work our advocates do,” she said.