Foundation House - Trauma-Informed and Sustainable Practice Principles (Introductory)

Learn how to avoid burnout and vicarious trauma while working with people from refugee and asylum seeking backgrounds.

Elevate your practice with this dynamic one-day face-to-face workshop designed to strengthen your confidence and capability in trauma-informed care.

Blending evidence-based theory with real-world application, this workshop explores what it truly means to be trauma-informed —and how to do so effectively and sustainably. You’ll gain practical insights into the core principles of trauma-informed practice at both the individual and organisational level.

Led by senior Foundation House staff, the session introduces Foundation House’s signature frameworks—including the Integrated Trauma Recovery Service Model and the Trauma Recovery Framework—bringing them to life through practical examples which can be applied across diverse cross-cultural settings.

Just as importantly, this workshop prioritises you. Through guided reflection and shared discussion, you’ll explore the impacts of trauma work on staff and team wellbeing, and leave with proven strategies to build resilience, maintain boundaries, and sustain your practice over time.

Join us to deepen your expertise, connect with peers, and enhance your impact in this important work.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• Deepen your understanding of the key theories and principles that underpin trauma‑informed and culturally safe practice, and discover how they can enhance your day‑to‑day work with survivors of trauma
• Learn how to confidently apply the Foundation House Trauma Recovery Framework to shape meaningful, trauma‑informed recovery goals with your clients/consumers/patients  
• Strengthen your awareness of how working with trauma can impact staff and organisational wellbeing, with practical insight into recognising burnout and vicarious trauma early
• Develop practical, sustainable strategies to reduce the risk of burnout and vicarious trauma—supporting your wellbeing while building resilience for long‑term, effective practice. 
   

Workshop Style - Learn through presentations, exercises that bring theory into practical application, and discussions in large and small groups.

Certificates and handouts - A PDF of the slides and a certificate of completion will be emailed to you after the event.

CPD points -This workshop adheres to the continuing professional development standards of most professional bodies. Please check the CPD policy of your professional body.

Who should attend?

• Caseworkers, social workers, community workers, youth workers
• Community leaders, bicultural works, peer workers and volunteers
• Health workers 
• Educators and school wellbeing staff
• Counsellors, psychologists, therapists
• Team leaders and managers

Facilitators:

Cecilia Lopez, Foundation House Practice Leader

Cecilia has dedicated much of her career to supporting individuals from migrant, refugee, and asylum seeker backgrounds in recovering from trauma. With extensive experience as both a counsellor and a tertiary education trainer, she holds a bachelor’s degree in social work and a Postgraduate qualification in Family Mediation and Dispute Resolution. Cecilia has also pursued additional studies in training and assessment, as well as various evidence-based psychotherapies. She is a member of the AASW and EMDRAA.

In her clinical practice, Cecilia integrates a wide range of therapeutic modalities, adopting a holistic mind-body approach to treatment. Since 1993, she has worked with survivors of torture and trauma in a variety of roles, and in 2006, she joined Foundation House as a Counsellor Advocate, Regional Coordinator, and Senior Practitioner. By the end of 2020, Cecilia transitioned to the Practice Excellence Team as a Practice Leader.

Throughout her career, Cecilia has collaborated with organisations such as the Australian Red Cross in both national and international programs, the Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre (formerly MRC Dandenong), the Department of Health and Human Services, Dandenong Hospital Mental Health, and has held tertiary academic roles at both TAFE and University.

Cecilia is deeply passionate about empowering individuals and communities to make informed choices regarding their mental health and improving lives through a strong focus on psychoeducation.

Kristina Dellosa, Foundation House Facilitator

Kristina is a Clinical Psychologist and educator with over a decade of experience across Victoria’s public mental health sector. Driven by a deep passion for cultural diversity and equitable access to care, her ongoing work centres on dismantling systemic barriers and aspiring that vulnerable communities receive culturally responsive, affirming support.

Prior to joining Foundation House in 2026, Kristina served as a Senior Psychology Educator at Western Health, where she focused on workforce capacity-building, instructional design, and equipping multidisciplinary teams with evidence-based frameworks to navigate complex trauma.

Holding a Master of Psychology (Clinical) and AHPRA board-approved supervisor status, Kristina is dedicated to fostering psychological safety, reflective practice, and systemic advocacy that champions human rights and social justice.