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.
Continue reading “Online Trauma Training?”Tag: #traumainformedpractice
But How Will We Pay for It?
The reform I propose, both in child protection and in wider social services, comes with a high return on investment in the long-term. (You can get a sneak peek at what I write about that in the book ‘The Trauma Root of Social Work: Beyond the Trauma Wall’ here: https://florencekoenderink.substack.com/p/return-on-investment-of-breaking) However, like all reform, in the short-term, investment is required for capacity building and service development. This will reliably raise an outcry of ‘it is impossible’, ‘where would we find the money?’ etc. This is understandable under the current attitude to the economy that seems to see people as a drain, which the economy needs to be protected from, and corporations and ultra-rich individuals as benefactors that must be protected and supported.
Challenging this attitude is a kind of radical reform in its own right. It is one that makes a lot of sense and creates a lot of financial room in national budgets due to its high return on investment that starts the moment action is taken based on the reversal of this belief. It is a hard sell, though, to propose taxing big business and the rich. Even though they currently, although they are in higher tax brackets, tend – in practice – to pay a tax rate considerably lower than those in the lowest tax bracket.
Continue reading “But How Will We Pay for It?”The Ability to Offer Support with Trauma
When someone has experienced trauma, or an event so overwhelming that it has the potential to become trauma if it is not processed, they are in need of support. To be able to process either current traumatic stress or past trauma, we need to feel safe and supported at a deep level. To experience this safety, we need to feel connected with other people, to not feel alone and helpless. However, it is not a simple thing to support someone with trauma, and not everyone is able to do so.
Continue reading “The Ability to Offer Support with Trauma”The Pushback Against a Trauma Focus in Social Work
While the understanding of the role of trauma in some aspects of social work is increasing, and with that, the training offered and policies changed, not everyone sees this as a positive development. Others do welcome the change in principle, but are disappointed or frustrated with the practice, or worried about the feasibility. That is why I want to address some of the objections that are raised against trauma-informed practice in social work.
Continue reading “The Pushback Against a Trauma Focus in Social Work”The Whys of Reform to Include a Trauma Lens
It is useful to have a look at why it is necessary to have reforms of various sectors to make sure that they are truly trauma-informed. As well as to point out that while this can seem like a daunting task, it is very feasible and worthwhile.
Continue reading “The Whys of Reform to Include a Trauma Lens”Dealing with Traumatised Teenagers
I am sharing a blog that was posted on www.familybasedsolutions.org in December 2020. To gather the ‘trauma blogs’ relevant to the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative here.
Continue reading “Dealing with Traumatised Teenagers”Behaviour as Communication
I am sharing a blog that was posted on www.familybasedsolutions.org in October 2019. To gather the ‘trauma blogs’ relevant to the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative here.
Continue reading “Behaviour as Communication”Diverse Outcomes After Trauma
I am sharing a blog that was posted on www.familybasedsolutions.org in December 2020. To gather the ‘trauma blogs’ relevant to the Beyond the Trauma Wall Initiative here.
Continue reading “Diverse Outcomes After Trauma”If Only We Could Prevent Trauma…
This tends to be said rhetorically. It is taken as a given that we can’t. Often trauma is seen as something inevitable, inescapable, and to be lived with. Similarly, too often, trauma awareness or trauma-informed practice is seen as at best recognising and having understanding for the trauma experienced by someone. While I acknowledge that trauma cannot be fully eradicated (people will die, accidents and disasters will happen and people will be affected by that) my belief is that a very large proportion of trauma can be prevented, just not overnight.
Continue reading “If Only We Could Prevent Trauma…”It’s About the Response…
You may have heard it said that trauma is not caused by what happened, but by how we respond to what happens, internally. This is true, but I think it is incomplete. It panders to the desire to put something incredibly complex into a few words or a short sentence. The shortest way I can think of to formulate what is really meant, is as follows:
Continue reading “It’s About the Response…”