Are You and Your Work Really Trauma-Informed?
by Sarah Mariann Martland
The term ‘Trauma-Informed’ has become a bit of a buzzword/term over the last decade. This is both a great thing and a not so great thing. Great because it indicates how many people and professions are starting to recognise its importance in their work and in the world. Not so great because when something becomes a buzzword/term, many people start using it without really knowing the complexity of what it means or what it might mean in the context of their work/self/clients.
With this, for many years, many of us working directly in the ‘trauma world’ have hesitated to use the term, or avoided it completely, using other similar, but essentially the same terms with regards their meaning. And when we at Trauma & Co. created our training program for people working with trauma (if you work with humans, you work with trauma), we initially didn’t use it in its name or in any of the marketing, even though the whole program is designed to help professionals in all kinds of support roles to become more trauma-informed.
And so, while we do not claim authority over the term, nor do we think we provide an exhaustive set of criteria for being ‘trauma-informed’, this year we decided to re-name our program to more clearly reflect what it is – which is a Trauma-Informed Professional Development training program.
So what do we mean when we say ‘trauma-informed’?
‘Trauma-informed’ means many different things to many different people.
Again, this list is not exhaustive and we do not offer this list to claim the term as ours in any way, nor do we claim to be the authority on trauma or ‘trauma-informed’ practice – while we have knowledge and experience to offer, we are very much in the lifelong learning with you (which is one of the things we talk about throughout our training), but we do feel like it’s an important term to dig into as it is can be incredibly complex to be ‘trauma-informed’, and we want you to know the basics of what we mean when we use the term ‘trauma-informed’ in our work:
Having at least a basic understanding about the different types of trauma.
Being able to explore how they might intersect and being able to hold the complexity and nuance in how what might be trauma for one might not be trauma for another. Along with understanding how there is no hierarchy when it comes to trauma or traumatic experiences and impacts.
Understanding the basics of how trauma impacts the body.
We don’t believe people need to be scientific experts to be ‘trauma-informed’ (I am definitely not a scientific expert!) but we do think it is useful to have a basic understanding about neuroplasticity, polyvagal theory and the autonomic nervous system and body memory. Along with understanding some of the psychological, physiological & interpersonal impacts of trauma.
Having a range of tools and resources to offer around safety and stabilization
(for both our clients and ourselves). This might include being able to explore a person’s existing resources, being able to offer a range of nervous system regulation, grounding, reorienting and presencing exercises, and any other resources than might be needed in our specific work or for our specific clients.
Meeting clients in companionship, not as an ‘expert’ or authority on their lives.
By this we mean not judging or trying to ‘fix’ them, and meeting them where they are in their lives/processes. Along with trusting in a person’s individual process, understanding that it won’t be linear. And understanding the importance of trusting and encouraging a client’s knowing of their life, experiences and body, and so not becoming the ‘expert’ on their life, body or experiences (even where they consent to us offering them support or advice in some way, honouring their right to say no).
Being able to offer and encourage compassion and care.
This is both for clients and for yourself. Encouraging clients to meet themselves with compassion and to create and lean into their own systems of support and care. Along with ensuring you are also leaning into (and/or creating) your own support systems and meeting yourself with compassion in work (with trauma) that is complex and that won’t always be perfectly done – understanding we will all do harm in life and in our work, and being compassionate towards ourselves while meeting ourselves (and having support systems who will meet us) with accountability (also see point 11).
Understanding the complexities of consent and boundaries.
Again, both in how we interact with and honour the consent and boundaries of our clients and in how we explore, name and hold our own boundaries and consent with them. Along with having an understanding of the complexities of consent and boundaries.
Having an awareness and understanding of complexity (in relation to trauma, human experience and identity).
This includes having a basic understanding of how systems uphold themselves, and how binary thinking and normativity are embedded in many harmful cultures (and an ability to question and work towards unraveling and changing ways of being and working in this way). Along with being able to continuously bring in context, nuance and discernment into all our work.
Understanding some of the complex intersections trauma holds with other human experiences,
such as grief, mental health, chronic illness, parenting etc. (this list is potentially unlimited).
Having a basic understanding of dissociation,
and how this relates to identity, memory and (dis)connection for people living with trauma.
Understanding how trauma can impact relationship and community.
Having a basic understanding of human needs for attachment and belonging and how trauma impacts these, including impacts such as individualism and isolation.
Continuously exploring how communication, language and conversations around trauma can be harmful.
Including how trauma should not be pathologized, the stigmas around trauma, how lived experience should be prioritized over ‘expert’ knowledge, and not gaslighting, victim-blaming or using spiritual bypassing language. Along with being able to work and be within cultures of non-perfectionism, at the same time as cultures of accountability and repair.
Continuously being in the learning (and unlearning) about oppression
and how it can be traumatic, along with working towards collective liberation in life and in how we work with clients. To be committed to the life-long learning in all these areas. This can be with regards any/all forms of oppression, including (but not limited to) patriarchy and misogyny, racism and white supremacy, homophobia and heteronormativity, transphobia and the gender binary, ableism and healthism, fat-shaming and diet culture, colonialism, class and capitalism. Understanding that many people are living with continued oppression, and therefore being continuously traumatised and re-traumatised.
Developing ways of working that are collaborative and co-creating support,
while understanding and not enforcing hierarchies in working relationships. This is both in relation to when working with clients and when working with other professionals – working together and not in competition.
Having an awareness of how people have different support needs when it comes to trauma.
Working together to offer support and not marketing ourselves as the only way to work with trauma, or treating clients as ‘broken’ if our approach/type of support doesn’t work. Along with having an understanding about other forms of trauma support (not only different therapies, but the range of support services/systems/practices that can be supportive or helpful with regards trauma) and having an awareness of different cultural needs and practices around trauma support.
These, we believe, are just the basics of what it means to be ‘trauma-informed’. And it’s our mission at Trauma & Co. and specifically in our work with professionals to help people to become ‘trauma-informed’ in these ways (and beyond) so that we, as clients or service users (which we professionals all are too), can really know what people are meaning when they call their services ‘trauma-informed’. Hoping that one day we won’t even need to use the term, because all services and cultures of support will be finally, really, ‘trauma-informed’.
If you’d like to explore all of this more with us, we’d love for you to join our upcoming Trauma-Informed Professional Development Training.
Join us in creating services, systems and cultures of care that are truly ‘trauma-informed’.
(this essay uses the structure and an outline of content created for of our Trauma-Informed Professional Development Training created by Sarah Mariann Martland & Gwynn Raimondi)
