When working in human services, we often respond to and support people during their most trying times. While this can be a wonderful and purposeful part of work, it’s essential that we take a Healing Focused Care approach. So, how do we build organizations that understand and support people who have experienced trauma? Becoming […]
Building Trauma-Responsive Organizations Read More »
Accessibility isn’t just a checkbox we need to mark off in our interactions. It’s a cornerstone to providing effective human services. Effective is accepting (nonjudgmental) and create a space where people feel a sense of belonging. We hear a lot about accessibility as a buzz term these days, but what does it really mean?
Ensuring Accessibility in Human Services: Building a Foundation of Respect and Safety Read More »
To begin, let’s reframe “hostile client.” This term is used because it is a term practitioners are searching for. Let’s sit with what might result in someone becoming “hostile”. Let’s do it in a word: powerless. We’ve all had to do things we don’t want to do. Whether it’s a trip to the DMV,
Building Connections on Shaky Ground: Handling “Hostile Clients” Read More »
Trauma-Informed Care encourages practitioners to understand the roots of trauma—the impact of a traumatic event or events on the body, brain, mental health, and our wellbeing. The word trauma means “wound,” which captures the impact of a traumatic experience or experiences. As practitioners, when we’re empathetic, engaged, and compassionate toward those we serve, we
Brain on Trauma: Unpacking the Neurobiology of Pain Read More »
Some folks may have a knee-jerk reaction to the words “intergenerational trauma.” How can the traumatic experiences of one generation be passed down or experienced by those who haven’t shared the same experiences? However, social research has shown that generational and intergenerational trauma very much exists. Ancestral pain and family history can continue to
The Echoes of Pain: Understanding Generational and Intergenerational Trauma Read More »
We see people with a wide range of experiences. It’s common that some people we encounter in our work are recovering from gaslighting—a term that has grown in awareness in recent years. Trauma Informed Care (TIC), can help guide us to be supportive of those we serve who are recovering and healing through gaslighting experiences.
Recovering from Gaslighting with Effective Trauma-Informed Care Read More »
Many of us feel overwhelmed by the prevalence of hate crimes and identity-based terrorism that surrounds us. How do we even start to unpack feelings when we see a shooting at an LGBTQ+ club that was supposed to be a safe space? When people are shot at the grocery store in a terrible hate crime?
Guided Sharing Circles: Creating a Safe Space to Process Emotions + Connect Read More »
As caregivers, we often work in positions where we’re surrounded by people experiencing trauma. Our intention is to help them, of course, and we may even see it as the mission of our job. But it’s critical we also nurture and do our wellness work to avoid vicarious trauma. When we hold space for
Focus on Wellness to Avoid Vicarious Trauma Read More »
These days, we hear a lot about being “client-centered” in our work, but many folks may wonder, what does that really mean?” It’s a good question—after all, isn’t all service work client-centered? Client-centered case management sounds almost redundant. But the truth is, if we want to build that all-important rapport with clients that
Integrating the Principles of Healing Focused Care with Client-Centered Case Management Read More »
Unfortunately, it seems that every day in the news, we see and hear about traumatic events. With access to 24-hour news cycles and an increasingly global society, it’s only natural that many of these traumas hit close to home. Over the last few years, many people have started to marvel at how we’re all
Processing Mass Trauma in the Workplace Read More »