Those of us who offer training and capacity building related to trauma-informed (or trauma-proactive) practice and approaches are under pressure to offer online and self-paced programmes. I want to share some reflections on this.
I like the possibility of reaching and bringing together people across great distances, to learn together and share experiences, and to offer training in situations where the time or money is not available to travel to do so in person.
I understand that people looking for training are under pressure from heavy workloads and struggle to carve out time to sit through longer, intensive, in-person training or workshops.
I am thinking about ways I myself can offer webinars and online ‘in your own time’ training. Both because I want the knowledge and awareness to spread, and – frankly – because I need to make a living, and that is where the demand is.
Yet, training on trauma-related topics is not the same as teaching someone the proper way to administer CPR or to do a child protection assessment.
Learning about trauma is never just about what you do ‘for them,’ if it is properly taught (rather than as a tick-box exercise). Even if the whole course is framed as ‘this is what you can expect to see in and do for them, and why that is,’ it will interact with parts of yourself. Recognition – consciously or unconsciously – of things about yourself that you might not have been aware of yet is likely to happen.
I see this happen every time I provide in-person training on these topics. Sometimes, this causes resistance, as protection of what threatens to be seen; someone withdraws or goes quiet, another form of protection; someone may get emotional, able to let it happen, but needing support. This is alright, but for the training to be effective, it needs to be recognised and gently (though not always overtly) addressed.
For effective training on trauma, a safe space is needed. This safe space requires co-regulation, being seen, and being accepted. When this is in place, what comes up for participants can become a powerful source of learning. Participants have told me at the end of training days that they found what was covered useful for their work, as well as their personal lives. To be able to provide that, I have to be there, to see everyone.
Something else I have found, with forms of self-paced, online training on trauma, is that it requires a real ability to connect with yourself, to even know how to start with the exercises that ask you to ‘simply’ discover what feelings a certain topic or scenario brings up for you. And even with a relatively well-developed ability to do so, I still found it challenging to do so on my own, rather than in conversation with someone, without guidance tailored to what was happening to me.
I’m not against online training and webinars. I am looking for ways to make it possible. I do think we need to be aware that when the topic is trauma, it is not clear-cut or simple. When we are serious about being trauma-informed, we also need to take responsibility for what we can stir up with this kind of training.
Please share this blog to spread awareness.