Handling sensitive disclosures

What impact will this course have on your organisation?

This course prepares your leaders and people managers for the moments they are most likely unprepared for, but will inevitably face.

Moments like:

• “I’ve had a miscarriage.”

• “My partner is abusive and controlling.”

• “I was sexually assaulted.”

• “I’ve relapsed.”

• “I’ve just been diagnosed with cancer.”

• “I’m in serious debt and don’t know what to do.”

• “My sister has died.”

  
  

These are sensitive disclosures.

They happen every day in workplaces, and in most cases, managers are left to respond in the moment, with no training.

When these conversations are handled poorly, even with the best intentions, they don’t just go wrong in the moment.

They become defining moments that can make or break trust in your organisation.

In a single interaction, a manager can unintentionally:

• Re-traumatise an employee at their most vulnerable

• Signal that it’s not safe to speak up here

• Shut down future disclosures, not just from that individual, but from others watching

• Trigger formal complaints, grievances, or legal escalation

• Drive absence, disengagement, or resignation

  
  

And the impact doesn’t stop there.

Managers themselves are often left:

• Carrying emotional weight they’re not equipped to process

• Second-guessing what they said or did

• At risk of stress, burnout, or vicarious trauma

  
  

This course changes that.

It gives your managers a trauma-informed, practical way to respond so that they can:

• Handle disclosures with confidence and care

• Protect employee wellbeing

• Strengthen trust and psychological safety

• Reduce organisational and reputational risk

  
  

What will learners take away?

Participants will gain a solid understanding of:

• What we mean by sensitive disclosures in the workplace, including experiences such as miscarriage, domestic abuse, sexual violence, addiction, bereavement, serious illness, and financial distress.

  
  

• Why these conversations are fundamentally different from performance or conflict discussions, and why traditional “difficult conversations” training falls short.

  
  

• The psychological and trauma-informed principles that shape how people disclose and how responses can either support or harm.

  
  

• Common, well-intentioned responses that can unintentionally:

  • Minimise

  • Dismiss

  • Overwhelm

  • Or re-traumatise

    
    

• A clear and practical framework for responding in the moment, knowing what to say, what not to say, and how to hold the space appropriately.

  
  

• How to respond with empathy while maintaining professional boundaries (without becoming a counsellor or trying to “fix” the situation).

  
  

• The impact of vicarious trauma and how to recognise and manage the emotional load of these conversations.

  
  

Which capabilities will your managers develop?

• Confidence in responding to disclosures involving:

  • Domestic abuse

  • Sexual violence or assault

  • Miscarriage and pregnancy loss

  • Bereavement

  • Addiction and substance misuse

  • Serious health diagnoses

  • Financial distress

• Practical communication skills to handle emotionally charged conversations with clarity and care.

• The ability to listen, validate, and respond appropriately, without shutting the conversation down or overstepping.

• A trauma-informed lens that supports employee wellbeing while protecting professional boundaries.

• Greater self-awareness and tools to manage emotional impact, reducing the risk of burnout and vicarious trauma.

• The capability to build trust, strengthen relationships, and create a culture where people feel safe to speak up.

  
  

How is the training delivered?

We offer flexible delivery to meet your needs:

• On-site delivery at your premises for group learning

• Live virtual sessions via MS Teams or Zoom

• Public/open courses - join alongside professionals from other organisations

Due to the sensitive and emotionally complex nature of this topic, we do not offer this course as e-learning.

Live, facilitator-led delivery ensures:

• Psychological safety for participants

• Skilled handling of real-life scenarios

• Space for reflection and discussion

• Deeper learning and lasting behavioural change