It's not just our clients and students that need trauma-informed care.

With the majority of adults experiencing at least 1 traumatic event in their lifetime and nearly a quarter of adults experiencing at least 1 mental illness in the last year, the impacts of traumatic stress are affecting all workplaces. Traumatic stress in the workplace can show up as:

• Higher turnover: leaving jobs, even in professions that people love
• Higher absenteeism: frequent call outs due to physical and mental health
• Higher presenteeism: overworking, overexertion, and nonexistent boundaries 
• Lower productivity: late reports, missed deadlines, impaired work, increased errors
• Toxic team culture: disconnected and disillusioned employees

Sound familiar? 

It is no secret, many ABA organizations are facing staff shortages, employee burnout, high turnover, and injuries. I have experienced all of the above, and so have countless healthcare providers and educators that I've worked with over the last 10 years. 

The need for supportive, trauma-informed ABA workplaces that prioritize resilience-building and psychological safety for all members of the organization is evident. 

Hi there. I'm Jessica Woolson.

I am a behavior analyst, wellness facilitator and coach, and advocate for trauma-informed care.

I built a strong foundation in behavior analysis from The University of North Carolina Wilmington, where I conducted an experimental thesis in mitigating against the effects of escape extinction in pediatric feeding disorders.

Currently, I am pursuing a second graduate degree, a Master's of Education in Social-emotional Learning (SEL), Mindfulness, and Yoga with a concentration in Transformative Teaching and Leadership through Breathe for Change. Throughout this program, I have developed my skills in trauma-informed teaching and facilitation, DEIA practices, and developing community-based wellness programs. 

I founded The Wellness and Behavior Collective with the mission of making wellness accessible to diverse communities, holding space for personal and professional growth, and transforming workplaces dedicated to serving the autism community.

Rediscovering Hope 

Like many of you, I was the burned out, disillusioned BCBA and educator. I was the BCBA skipping lunch, disregarding my own well-being, and giving every ounce of my energy to my clients and their families. I've worked alongside countless BCBAs, RBTs, and educators over the years who are physically, mentally, and emotionally wiped out. I made the difficult decision to walk away from more clients, students, families, and colleagues than I'd like to admit.

A few months ago, I received a message from a past supervisor that said “you make me have hope for the future of ABA.” I had to really sit with that and ask myself, “How did I get here? How can I share this sense of hope with other BCBAs who want to make changes within our field and their own lives?” My Trauma-informed Wellness & Behavior Workshops seek to offer members of the ABA community a renewed sense of hope and empowerment to create change in our field.

Live Interactive Workshop Series

•  The purpose of this live and interactive workshop series is to empower members of the ABA community with a more comprehensive understanding of trauma-informed care, including a foundational understanding of traumatic stress, burnout, and how that shows up in our work. 

•  The program is split into 4 interactive and live workshops (up to 8 CEUs for BCBAs) with space for individual reflection, equitable sharing, group discussion, examples, question and answers, and embedded wellness practices.

• During each workshop, Jessica will "model the model" by embedding trauma-informed teaching and leadership practices with practices that can be utilized in your personal life, within your teams, and/or with your clients and students.

Explore each of the workshops below by clicking on the + sign.