what is trauma-informed care?

Trauma-informed care considers the impact trauma has on people and integrates this knowledge into its treatment, approach, policies, procedures, protocols, and interactions with individuals. It values offering safety, transparency, empathy, and collaboration to its service users.

Why might you and your team need to be trauma-informed?

Approximately 76% of Canadians identify as having experienced trauma, and 8% of them are estimated to develop PTSD. As the public discourse of mental health increases, so does the awareness that many people would benefit from a compassionate and trauma-informed approach. Regardless of someone’s academic, professional, or personal role, they will interact with individuals who have experienced trauma and would benefit from knowing how to offer the best type of support and care. Not only does this honour the importance of someone’s well-being and create a safer environment, but it has the potential to improve treatment and service results, as well.

 

who can benefit from trauma-informed care training?

Anyone, really! Because everyone has some type of past hurt they are managing, it is good practice to be mindful of trauma in every interaction you have. However, those who might particularly benefit from a training like this are front line workers and professional roles that involve hands-on treatment, such as:

  • doctors and nurses

  • paramedics

  • physiotherapists

  • massage therapists

  • osteopaths

  • personal support workers

  • naturopaths

  • dieticians

  • dentists

  • law enforcement officers

  • members of the judicial system (justices of the peace, lawyers, etc.)

  • firefighters

  • social workers

  • social service workers

  • psychotherapists

  • psychologists

  • psychiatrists

  • teachers/professors

  • administrative professionals in medical and mental health facilities/clinics

  • management and supervisors

  • peer support providers

  • volunteers

Customized training

This training can be tailored to what makes the most sense for your team’s needs. If you have an inquiry about a possible training, please provide a general idea of what your team would like to learn and how much time you would like to dedicate to it.

Possible topics

General Education

  • What is trauma and how does it develop

  • Mental health diagnoses you might come across

  • Common trauma symptoms and presentations

  • The neurobiology of trauma

  • What is trauma processing (how do people move through these experiences) and what are some common therapeutic modalities 

  • Post-traumatic growth (what happens after processing)

Practical Application

  • How to tell how a client is doing

  • How to support a client if they are dysregulated, triggered, panicking, dissociating, etc. (strategies)

  • Developing practitioner awareness (recognizing your biases, working with individuals that you find difficult, bringing awareness to the impact you have on clients and your own reaction to some of them, boundaries, empathy, etc)

  • How to communicate as a trauma-informed professional (the do's and don'ts of what to say; how to navigate difficult conversations like chronic lateness, inappropriate boundaries, mentions of suicide, mentions of trauma)

  • Knowing what your scope of practice is and staying in it

  • Making a referral: how to determine whom to refer to or which resources to provide

  • Your own self-care

If you’d like an idea of how trauma-informed care might be applied, this article offers just one example of how it can help in client interactions (in this case, in the medical field).

From a Therapist’s Lens

I often hear the stories of the appointments and interactions that have gone poorly and have been triggering for clients. These types of experiences can deter individuals from reaching out to much needed services, asking for help, or receiving adequate treatment. They can also lead to retraumatization, relapses of substance use or eating disordered behaviour, flashbacks, dissociation, shame, self-harming behaviours, and suicidal ideation.

While my work has involved creating self-care and safety plans, it would be exponentially easier for clients if they knew they were interacting with professionals who are aware of not only the possibility of trauma, but also how it might impact their presentation and needs. (It might even make it easier for the service provider, as well).

If you think someone else might be interested in this information, you’re welcome to save and share the above flyer.