Eastern Shore Healthy Communities wants the Eastern Shore to become trauma-informed. It begins with individuals and organizations. Knitted together, we can be a better-informed, more sensitive, and productive community. To begin getting your organization on the road towards being trauma-informed, contact Patti Kiger at kigerpg@evms.edu
Understanding What It Means to Be a Trauma-Informed Individual and Organization
Trauma is everywhere. It is the rare person who has not experienced trauma and many have experienced multiple traumas. Mental or physical neglect, mental, physical or sexual abuse, dysfunction in the home like mental illness, incarceration, physical abuse, substance abuse, or divorce can be adverse experiences that traumatize.
Trauma is any event, or series of events or set of circumstances that are experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life threatening and has lasting adverse effects on an individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional or spiritual well-being.
Trauma can shorten lives and impact physical and mental health and behavior. For a community to experience well-being, its residents and leaders of its organizations need to understand trauma, its symptoms, impact on the brain, body and behavior, and learn to respond in ways that encourage healing. This is being trauma-informed.
Trauma can be subjective. Two people can experience the same trauma and have two entirely different responses to it. Often the difference can be explained by innate resiliency. Resilience is the antidote to trauma and we can learn techniques to improve resiliency.
Trauma can be intergenerational. Parent or caregiver trauma can be passed down to the child in utero and that can impact a child’s development, behavior, health or gene expression. This trauma can be passed down to future generations through behavior and environment. It is important to break the cycle of intergenerational trauma by helping people understand and address their own trauma.
Historical trauma is multigenerational and collective trauma experienced by a specific cultural, racial or ethnic group. It is related to major events that oppressed a particular group of people such as slavery, the Holocaust, and the forced migration and violent colonization of Native Americans.
Systemic trauma relates to practices and procedures implemented by institutions or their leaders that directly or indirectly cause harm to particular individuals or specific groups of people. These practices and policies perpetuate inequality, injustice, marginalization, exploitation and oppression of certain groups. An examples of systemic trauma is zero tolerance policies in schools that lead to the school-to -prison pipeline. Historically school suspension practices have penalized black students at three times the rate of white student. Students who are suspended are more likely to drop out of school and that limits economic opportunity.
Racism and Systemic Trauma. Scientific evidence suggests that the chronic stress, resulting from frequent racist encounters, is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation — similar to having a chronic low fever. This may wear a person down physically over time, which could put them at a higher risk for a heart disease and other health conditions.
A trauma-informed organization realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery. They teach their employees to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in each other and in their customers (clients, patients, students – whoever the customer is). And they move forward to create an environment that does not re-traumatize and emphasizes resilience.
Six principles guide trauma-informed organizations.
A trauma-informed organization realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery. They teach their employees to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma in each other and in their customers (clients, patients, students – whoever the customer is). Six principles guide trauma-informed organizations.
1. Safety. The feeling of being safe both physically and emotionally is a high priority for trauma-informed organizations. Having predictable environments with schedules, routines, structures, even routine celebrations, with clear rules and expectations contribute to employees and clients (or students, patients, customers) feeling safe. Trauma-informed organizations focus on emotional safety. Having connected, caring relationship are a priority. Individuals, especially management in trauma-informed organizations, pay attention to their body language, non-verbal cues, and tone of voice.
2. Trustworthiness and Transparency. Trauma-informed organizations keep processes and decision-making transparent to build trust within the employee ranks and among their customers. They explain processes and procedures, use clear and effective communication, are true to their word and follow through on commitments. Consistency and admitting mistakes contribute to trustworthiness and transparency.
3. Peer Support. Trauma-informed organizations use the peer support of trauma survivors. Trauma survivors share their experiences to establish safety, hope, build trust, and enhance collaboration. Using trauma survivor stories and lived experiences promotes healing and resiliency. Trauma-Informed Leadership Teams (TILT) are small groups that regularly meet to share experiences related to their work and applying a trauma-informed lens. As these TILTs meet more frequently, they grow in their trauma-informed skills.
4. Collaboration and Mutuality. In business circles, collaborative management has replaced top-down management because it is more effective in a complex society. Organizations require more effective leadership to get the job done. So little wonder that collaboration and mutuality are important principles of a trauma-informed organization. Level the power, not just among staff, but between staff and clients or customers. Healing happens within relationships and relations are better formed among equals. Work with clients, customers, patients, students – whoever your customer is—on goal planning. Seek their input and feedback. Share decision-making. Provide opportunities for the client to contribute.
5. Empowerment, Voice, Choice. Empower the workforce and empower clients (or students, patients, customers) by recognizing and building upon strengths and experiences. Include them in decision-making and goal setting. Encourage and cultivate self-advocacy skills. If you work with patients, remember to facilitate recovery, not control it. Plan and set goals with staff and clients. Give some autonomy within decision-making. Create time to celebrate successes and failures. Remember that failures are opportunities to learn.
6. Cultural, Historical and Gender Issues. Recognize, acknowledge and work to combat historical and current cultural and race-based trauma, systems of oppression and gender issues. A trauma-informed organization actively works to dismantle systems of oppression and racism. Many white people do not understand their own privilege and this requires actively working to be anti-racist. Ensure all policies, procedures, and practices are responsive to the racial, ethnic and cultural needs of all clients served. Use the healing value of traditional cultural connections. Check out your workforce and work towards matching it up to the clients you serve. Finally, insure that all materials and literature are accessible to all of the people you serve.
For further information or to schedule a presentation or consultation contact kigerpg@evms.edu