Trauma-Informed Care
Learn the Ins and Outs of Trauma-Informed Engagement
What does it mean to be “trauma-informed”? It’s a lot of what it sounds like, but with some additional layers. Trauma – which ranges from “classic” things like experiences with physical, sexual, and emotional violence to experiences with poverty and war – has a dramatic impact on how we function. While far from a universal principle, people who have experienced trauma often have difficulty connecting with other people, including peers, family, and clinicians, and in achieving general stability in employment, housing, etc. The consequences are often depression, increased social isolation, and disengagement from healthcare treatment. When we talk about being ‘trauma-informed,’ we’re simply talking about the need for practitioners to place an active (and ongoing) focus on the ways that trauma impacts the beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors (and outcomes) of people. Without that focus, we tend to look at people with trauma in very binary ways.
Representing a stark rebuke to the inherently retributive, non-rehabilitative nature of the global disciplinary system, trauma-informed care forges non-punitive corrections to address maladaptive behaviors, namely by seeking to manage trauma first (“getting upstream”). Importantly, trauma-informed care also seeks to contextualize the trauma that happens beyond the individual—in short, to members of the individual’s social network, such as family and friends, and their broader community, who may be impacted by the individual’s behaviors.
As part of our Trauma-informed Care Training, trainees get a thorough and all-encompassing overview of the multidimensional aspects of trauma-informed care, which includes 1) identification of the source(s) of the individual’s trauma(s), 2) recognition and affirmation of the outgrowths of the trauma, and 3) targeted approaches for working with individuals to address their trauma. Crucially, we also include a component on vicarious trauma, also known as secondary traumatic stress, which is a process whereby practitioners may “absorb” and be negatively impacted by the trauma that they experience. If you’ve ever had the sensation of taking clients’ stories home with you, you know what this is all about. Secondary traumatic stress is a key driver of employee burnout and can be mitigated through mindfulness-driven strategies that are discussed in this training.
CHUM’s two-day Trauma-Informed Care Training provides trainees with a deep, multi-directional view into the nature of psychological trauma and its sequelae. With a specific emphasis on practitioners in social work and education who work with individuals with a history of adverse childhood experiences, suicidality, and substance use, the training calls on practitioners to “frontload” these experiences into a dissection of how this trauma shapes and reflexively substantiates one’s (negative) worldviews, attitudes, and actions. Following the training, participants will be better positioned to understand the unique contributions of trauma to the beliefs and actions of individuals. As part of our training, we incorporate key paradigms from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), which outlines six dimensions of trauma-informed care: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment, voice, and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender issues. Participants will also be given a Trauma-Informed Care Training Certificate and may be eligible for Continuing Education credits.
To further advance your efforts to engage in trauma-informed care modalities as a “lifestyle” change, trainees gain access to our “CHUMMIES“. CHUMMIES are our virtual de-stressing and cultural exchange groups, offered on a bi-weekly basis over Zoom. As part of CHUMMIES, we bring together trainees and practitioners to engage in practices of self-care and self-reflection in the context of cultural responsiveness.
Our trauma-informed practice trainees also get ”tokens,” our cultural humility currency that provides trainees with access to other CHUM resources, such as Anchors. Anchors are confidential one-on-one 30-minute consultation sessions with a CHUM team member to discuss a specific case or issue that you\’re wrestling with professionally or personally.
Who’s this for?
Academics (staff, faculty, and students at educational and research institutions), clinicians, human resources professionals, community organizations, businesses, policymakers
Availability
In-person; also available via videoconferencing (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, etc.).
Length of Training
We offer this training in durations of 4 hours, 6 hours, 8 hours, 10 hours, 12 hours, 14 hours, and 16 hours. The longer the training, the more extensive and immersive the training is, You also may opt for an optional “refresher” training six months later to help revisit and reinforce key training concepts | “Train the Trainer” also available
Training Cost
To maintain the integrity of our content, we are independently funded and operated based on fees that we receive from our trainees. The cost of the training is dependent on the nonprofit/for-profit status of the individual or organization and the size of their training group (if applicable). Please inquire below when you are ready to begin.