We live in a time of trauma. The COVID pandemic and its resulting impact on health, socialization, education and finances continues to leave us in crisis. The historic and persistent trauma of being born Black, Native American, Jewish or being an immigrant in the U.S. contributes to a steady stream of toxic stress.
You may also be aware of the set of traumas known as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs): physical, mental or sexual abuse; physical or mental neglect, living in a home troubled by divorce or loss of an important caregiver, mental illness, drug use, an incarcerated parent, or an abused mother.
Trauma is ubiquitous. Individuals, organizations and communities suffer from it daily. Resilience is the antidote. So the more we learn about resilience, the healthier we become.
We invite you to understand this concept better and to become trauma-informed. Then we ask you to help influence where you work and worship to become trauma-informed. Knitted together, trauma-informed individuals and organizations become a trauma-informed community. That’s our goal: to create a resilient and trauma-informed Eastern Shore of Virginia
To contribute to being trauma aware, trauma informed, and trauma-sensitive, Eastern Shore Healthy Communities offered a trio of trauma-aware presentations in the spring of 2021, along with a “train-the-trainer” presentation to teach you how to offer these presentations yourself. Click on the links below to either see the presentations or the slides. We also offer several handouts mentioned in the trainings.
Presentations
What Does It Mean to Be Trauma Informed?
Presented April 28, 2021
What Does It Mean to Be a Trauma-Informed Organization?
Presented May 13, 2021
What Does It Mean to be a Trauma-Informed Community?
Presented May 25, 2021
Learn to Offer these Presentations Yourself. Train-the-Trainer.
Presented June 23, 2021
Helpful Training Materials:
TICN Training Guide. (PDF) This document serves as a reference for providing examples of must have learning objectives/topics, as well as resources to share when conducting the Introduction to Trauma and Resilience training. The guide also provides a comprehensive outline that includes additional training topics and resources for use when customizing the training to fit special populations and groups.
Mini-mandala templates. (PDF) When providing training, participants like to engage both sides of their brains. Offer copies of these mandalas with colored pencils and let participants exercise their creative sides.
ProQL: Professional Quality of Life Scale. (PDF) The ProQOL is the most commonly used measure of the negative and positive affects of helping others who experience suffering and trauma. The ProQOL has sub-scales for compassion, satisfaction, burnout and compassion fatigue. See more online at proquol.org/proqol-measure
Stress and Early Brain Growth: Understanding ACEs. (PDF) This handout is a helpful illustration of how trauma (or ACEs) affect the brain and overall health of an individual. It also offers hopeful information on resilience and extra resource links for ACEs, parenting, and resilience.
Melissa McGinn, Greater Richmond SCAN’s Director of Community Prevention Programs and State Coordinator for Virginia’s Trauma-Informed Community networks was our presenter. We thank the Virginia State Office of Rural Health for funding to provide these presentations and materials.
Want to learn more? Join us monthly on the second Tuesday at 1 pm for our virtual Resilient & Trauma-Informed Communities Work Group meetings: https://bluejeans.com/955267542/3535
At each meeting we share experiences on the road to becoming trauma-sensitive and trauma-informed individuals and organizations. We also offer mini-presentations to keep the learning fresh and ongoing.