ODL 440: Beyond Resilience: Understanding Secondary Traumatic Stress in Military Spouses

1 Credit Hour: This 1-hour training is designed to increase awareness and understanding of secondary traumatic stress (STS) among military spouses, reframing it as a systemic and relational response rather than an individual deficit. Through a trauma-informed and systems-based lens, this training explores how STS develops within the context of military family life and how it is shaped by structural factors such as stigma, confidentiality concerns, limited access to services, and service member–centric care models. Participants will examine common signs and manifestations of STS in spouses, including emotional exhaustion, anxiety, relational strain, and somatic symptoms, as well as the ways these experiences are often misinterpreted or minimized.