Presentation Title

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Developing Trauma-Informed Service

Provider Organizations

Calhoun County MI

June 17, 2016

Kath Schilling M.Ed., CAS, LADC I

Trauma Specialist

Institute for Health and Recovery

www.healthrecovery.org

Presentation Title

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Acknowledge and normalize the impact of trauma on

staff and participants

Promote and support self-care

Provide resources for self-care: peer support, time

off, stress management resources, physical

activities, counseling

Do not equate overwork with caring and

commitment

Trauma-Informed Organizations…

Presentation Title

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“I am just learning, I may have been here 8 years but I

am still, over the last year I’m learning more about

trauma in women and being more caring and less

critical. I’m not trying to get them to do my program

anymore, I’m trying to help them do their own program

and teach them, that’s what I do and same thing with

the kids… I’m a lot softer this past year than I have ever

been.”

Staff Response to Being Part of a Trauma

Informed Organization

Presentation Title

Developing Trauma Informed

Organizations:

A Tool Kit

(a publication of the Institute for Health and Recovery)

www.healthrecovery.org

Presentation TitleTool Kit Contents

Principles for an Integrated Trauma-Informed Services System

Template for Developing a Trauma Integration Strategic Plan

Sample Trauma Policies

Trauma-Informed Self-Assessments

Staff Practice Survey

Trauma Informed Supervision Guides and Tools

Presentation TitleUsing the Tool Kit

Trauma Integration Team

1. Completes Trauma Integration Self-Assessment, choosing ratings by consensus

2. Administers Staff Practice Survey anonymously to see how staff are doing with respect to : Staff Safety, Staff Empowerment, Self-Care, Knowledge and Competence, Trauma-Informed Attitudes, and Trauma-Informed Practice.

Presentation TitleUsing the Tool Kit

Template for Creating a Trauma Integration Plan

1. Trauma Integration Team uses template to identify

goals in different areas (i.e., physical environment,

staff training).

2. Goals are prioritized

3. Objectives, target dates and person(s) responsible

for implementation are developed for first few goals.

4. Team continues to move through goals at a

reasonable pace.

5. Change is monitored over time

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1. Identify champion for change

2. Form change team

3. Team identifies and prioritizes

targets for change

4. Develop trauma integration

strategic plan

5. Conduct periodic self-assessments

6. Implement changes over a period

of time

Steps Involved in Organizational Change

Presentation Title

Strategies for Implementation

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I. Administrative commitment

II. Empowering/relational environment

III. Training

IV. Hiring and human resources practices

V. Review of Provision of Services and Policies

Strategies for Creating a Trauma-Informed

Organization

Presentation TitleI. Administrative Commitment

Administrative leadership supports a long-term commitment to providing trauma-informed services

Top managers draft and issue a policy statement and/or amendment to organization’s mission statement

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Presentation Title

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Bring together and build connection among

diverse constituencies

• Administrators, middle management, direct

care staff, participants, peer leaders

Openly and respectfully discuss differences from

the outset

Identify sources of disagreement and tension

prior to collaborative work: address in planning

process

Build on areas of agreement and shared goals

II. Empowering/ Relational Environment

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Provide

Opportunities to discuss the

work

Both informally and

formally

Team-building

Social activities to build

connection

Relational Development Strategies

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Provide training on impact of

trauma for all staff

Educate staff about secondary

trauma

Include training by those who

have experienced trauma

Incorporate training into new

staff orientation on an ongoing

basis

III. Training

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Hire new staff with

knowledge/understanding/ experience of

trauma

Hire those who have experienced trauma in

professional and peer positions

Recognize and address impact of primary and

secondary trauma on staff

IV. Hiring and Human Resource Practices

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Review current policies and practices and evaluate for potential replication of trauma dynamics

Develop a system for review of future policies in terms of trauma sensitivity

Review service delivery practices and service elements to develop a trauma-informed service system

Work with other service-providers to develop a trauma-informed system of care

V. Review of Provision of Services

and Policies

Presentation Title

Secondary Trauma

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*Also referred to as Compassion Fatigue

Presentation Title

Institute for Health

and Recovery

Please Keep in Mind…

To provide quality care, one must bear witness

It is Normal to be effected by what you witness

Profound sadness, grief and anger are normal

reactions

Acknowledging one’s own feelings gives

perspective and lessens the burden

No sector of our society is untouched by abuse

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Changes in:

Beliefs about self, others,

the world

Sense of trust or sense of

esteem in self or others

Perception of safety of self

or others

Feeling connected

Sense of control

Impact of Secondary Trauma

Occurs as result of empathic engagement with clients

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Intrusive symptoms:

Flashbacks, nightmares, obsessive thoughts

Difficulties with emotional regulation:

Numbing, dissociation, reactivity

Physical:

Somatization, frequent illness

Symptoms of Secondary Trauma

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Awareness

• Of all aspects of one’s

experience

• Needs, limits, emotions,

resources

Balance

• Time for reflection

Connection

• Social support

Resiliency Factors

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Encourage balance in responsibilities

Provide forums for staff to talk about how

they are affected

Attend to workers’ safety and comfort

Provide education about trauma, secondary

trauma, stress management, and promote

trauma competencies

Promote compassion satisfaction

Addressing Secondary Trauma

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Supervision

If possible, separate from

evaluation

Create safety for worker

to discuss concerns

Normalize impact of

secondary trauma

Help identify triggers

Suggest strategies and

use of safe coping skills

Organizational Strategies

Presentation Title

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Resources for Self-Care

Counseling resources

Peer support

Opportunities for stress management and

physical activities

Adequate time off

Wellness recovery action plans

Organizational Strategies

Presentation Title

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“Reframing of our tears as natural and healthy

expressions of the grief we must inevitably feel as a

result of bearing witness to the pain of others has

helped us to a deeper, personal understanding of this

process.” (Saakvitne and Pearlman, 1996)

Response of a Participant to Training

on Secondary Traumatization