On-Demand CE Training
ODL 373: Using Storytelling and Music to Enhance Resilience and Address Vicarious Trauma
Please make sure to check with your own state board to ensure the transferability of CE credit for an asynchronous course. Some state boards may place restrictions regarding the modality of training required for ethics credits to be awarded. If this training indicates ethics credits are available, please verify that your state allows them to be earned through an on-demand course format.
1 CREDIT HOUR APPROVED FOR:
Social Workers
ASWB ACE – 1 General Continuing Education credit
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work – 1 Contact hour
Psychologists
APA – 1 CE credit
Counselors 1 Contact hour
NBCC ACEP – 1 Contact hour
New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners – 1 Contact hour
Addiction Professionals
NAADAC – This course is not approved for NAADAC Contact hours
Nurses
California Board of Registered Nursing – 1 Contact hour
Case Managers
CCMC – 1 Contact hour
Created On: 12/12/2025
Target Audience:
This course is targeted for social workers, psychologists, counselors, nurses and case managers.
Overview:
Mental health practitioners often face burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma alongside their clients. This engaging course introduces music and storytelling as creative strategies for resilience. Participants will complete the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale for self-reflection, review research on creative interventions, and hear firsthand from musician and cancer survivor Tom Willner, who shares how he used music and storytelling to cope with cancer and survive to thrive.
Course Objectives:
By the end of the session, the participant will be able to:
- Differentiate burnout, secondary traumatic stress, and vicarious trauma as they relate to professional quality of life.
- Evaluate their own levels of compassion satisfaction, burnout, and secondary traumatic stress by completing and reflecting on the Professional Quality of Life (ProQOL) scale.
- Identify at least two evidence-informed strategies using music and storytelling to enhance resilience and mitigate vicarious trauma.
Presenter:
Tom Willner, Cancer Survivor, Speaker, and Musician
Tom Willner is a cancer survivor, keynote speaker, and musician who uses his story and original music to help healthcare professionals reconnect with purpose, build resilience, and deepen clinical empathy. Diagnosed with cancer in his 30s, Tom turned his journey into a stage work (Turning Thirty, The Musical) and later a book (Having a Ball at Thirty: How I Got Through Cancer by Writing a Musical), both of which have been used to educate and inspire healthcare audiences.
He has presented CE-accredited programs for thousands of professionals, blending humor, storytelling, and music with practical strategies for preventing burnout and improving the patient experience. Tom has delivered a TEDx talk and spoken for organizations such as the Oncology Nursing Society, NASW Georgia, and Emory University. His story has also been featured on NBC, CBS, Fox 5, TBS, and in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Anne McSweeney, LCSW, President of CEU Creations
Anne McSweeney has a diverse background in medical social work, education, and community relations. With a social work career that spans over two decades, she has been planning continuing education training for over 17 years. Anne founded CEU Creations in 2010 to transform the CE landscape. Her goal is to provide innovative training that keep the learner engaged, connect the learner with community resources/companies (which in turn, allows for the CEs to be more affordable) and ultimately change best practices and outcomes. Prior to founding CEU Creations, she practiced medical social work for over 8 years, working primarily with the geriatric population in home health, hospice, and dialysis. In 2015, she was appointed to the Fulton County Commission on Elderly Affairs where she served for 5 years as an advocate for seniors in Fulton County. She has also served on the boards of The Aimee Copeland Foundation, The Atlanta Senior Care Network Niche and Ageless Interaction.