Potter, Andrea
Resilience: It's All About the Bounce: Coming Back from the Eye of the Storm

This seminar examines the impact of cumulative trauma in corrections, using lived experience to illustrate how repeated exposure to critical incidents, such as assaults, confinement and witnessing death, can affect personal and professional well-being. Participants will learn to recognize the signs and effects of PTSD in themselves and others, understand the importance of early intervention and organizational support, and reframe help-seeking and time away from work as essential components of professional resilience.
The session also highlights the recovery process, emphasizing that stepping away can be a necessary and adaptive response to trauma. Attendees will learn practical strategies for returning to work safely and sustainably, while leveraging personal insight to strengthen decision-making, crisis response, and peer support.

Andrea Potter - Bio
Andrea Potter is a correctional professional with more than thirty years of service, specializing in crisis communication, crisis negotiation, emergency management, and resiliency training. Throughout her career, she has contributed significantly to strengthening organizational readiness and building staff capacity to respond to complex and high-risk situations. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Social Science in Criminology and Psychology from the University of Ottawa, grounding her work in evidence-based and trauma-informed practice. Since joining CSC in 1991, Andrea has served in a wide range of operational and training roles. She has been a National Trainer in Crisis Negotiation since 1993 and has also served nationally as a Crisis Management trainer. Her work includes the development and delivery of training programs across Canada, leadership roles in national projects, committees, and focus groups on crisis and riot response, and authorship of curricula, manuals, and scenario-based training for crisis negotiators and crisis managers. Andrea is an active Crisis Negotiator and EAP/CISM team member. She has also developed and delivered a negotiation program for the Northwest Territories Correctional System, contributing to the building of correctional capacity.