trauma-informed leadership

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When an organization states that they take a “trauma informed care” approach to providing services, it means that they understand just how pervasive trauma is.

 

“Trauma-informed” becomes the chosen worldview of the organization, which in turn creates an essential culture of safety for people who come to receive services, as well as staff and other stakeholders. It engenders a basic understanding of just how widespread trauma is, and the way it can infiltrate all areas of a person’s life—mind and body. Trauma-informed services do not need to be focused on treating symptoms or syndromes related to trauma. Rather, regardless of their primary mission – to deliver primary care, mental health, addictions services, housing, etc - their commitment is to provide services in a manner that is welcoming and appropriate to the special needs of those affected by trauma (Harris & Fallot, 2001).

Cultivating a trauma-informed environment requires:

  • Profound importance of creating a environment that values safety, predictability, and choice

  • Building trust, suspending judgments, growing compassion

  • Making accommodations for disabilities and mental health issues, including decreasing stigma

  • Supporting someone’s self-determination, and understanding what a workplace environment needs to look like to encourage staff to be motivated intrinsically

  • The importance of choice and control for staff

  • Empathy and compassion in communication (language, facial expressions, etc)

We will cover: 

  • What it means to be trauma-informed

  • The impact and pervasive nature of trauma, types of trauma, & how the body deals with stress

  • Understanding workplace exhaustion in an era of uncertainty, and the stress response

  • Resources to support psychologically safe workplaces from Mental Health Commission of Canada etc.

  • Principles and guidelines for a trauma-informed organization/business and how to integrate them

  • Addressing biases and judgements that get in the way of safety, diversity, equity, and inclusion

  • Importance of flexibility

  • Creating a culture that is based on safety, predictability, and choice

  • How to decrease stigma in your organization around mental health struggles

  • Addressing communication issues that can be triggering for people–Language matters!

  • Supporting ourselves as leaders, so we can be less reactionary with staff and stakeholders

The Following is adapted from SAMHSA’s Six Principles of Trauma-Informed Care are:

Though American, here in Canada, we also use the SAMHSA model
(The following definitions of these principles is adapted from the BC Peer Support Training Curriculum, by Jenn Cusick)

  1. Safety: We must ask people what safety means to them. If we don’t challenge our own worldview, assumptions, and life experience on what safety means to us, we will not be ensuring a sense of safety for ALL. We will simply be creating safety for people like us. We must ensure that we create safety for those who have different life experiences This means that we consider all ages, cultures, races, demographics of people served. We must consider also consider the safety of staff, co-workers, and stakeholders. Safety means awareness of physical, emotional, and interpersonal safety. This needs to be a high priority.

  2. Trustworthiness and Transparency: Operations and decisions must be made with transparency at the forefront. The goal must be in building and maintaining trust with service recipients, staff, and stakeholders. When we uphold trustworthiness and transparency, that means that we are open about the process of making those difficult decisions, and we invite other voices to participate. Withholding information is not trauma-informed. Trustworthiness and transparency in an organization starts with a culture of healing and connection through relationships. The quality and health of the relationships in an organization creates the culture even more than the establishment of values, and a mission statement. That includes approaching conflict in safe and respectful ways. Conflict is a normal part of human relationships, but how we deal with conflict can be very damaging and can cause trauma. Many people have experienced trauma in the workplace because of this. Establishing strong relationships that have the resilience to move through conflict in a transformative way, is essential.

  3. Peer Support: Organizations that are trauma-informed put a priority in practices like peer support (staff supporting other staff). This principle is about integrating the culture and values of peer support to into the rest of the organization. It’s about creating opportunities for connection and mutuality into many aspects of the organization, including initiatives to support staff. An organization that promotes peer support focuses on mutuality and possibility, rather than pathology. An organization that creates opportunity for deeper mutual connections between all staff, is trauma-informed.

  4. Collaboration and Mutuality: A collaborative approach is necessary for the whole organization. In a trauma-informed organization there is an intentional shoulder to shoulder approach and breaking down hierarchies. Power differentials between staff are broken down, and though people have roles and responsibilities, there is a spirit of mutuality and standing together. A trauma-informed approach includes everyone–administrators, front-line staff, custodial workers, and leadership. The organization is an example of the importance of connection, community and healing relationships. An organization that is focussed on being trauma-informed, and creating healing-centered connections, also supports their staff and stakeholders to reflect and attend to their own well-being. All polices should support the well-being of those served by the organization and staff. When staff feel whole and engage in reflective, contemplative healing practices themselves, it is easier to create connection with others.

  5. Empowerment, Voice, and Choice: Empowerment means that people are encouraged to continue to build on their existing wisdom and resilience. Many people with past trauma have experienced a coercive approach. This is why choice is of utmost importance. A person must always have some kind of a choice. Self-empowerment is enhanced through learning new skills, and gaining mastery. Opportunities to learn and grow and essential for staff in the workplace. Acknowledging, validating, and building on personal strengths is essential. A one-size-fits all attitude is not trauma-informed, as it doesn’t acknowledge the unique needs and experiences of people.

  6. Cultural, Historical and Gender Issues
    The SAMHSA's Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach says:

    The organization actively moves past cultural stereotypes and biases (e.g., based on race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, geography), offers gender responsive services, leverages the healing value of traditional cultural connections, and recognizes and addresses historical trauma.

Jenn will work with your organization to figure out how to integrate these principles into your workplace.

“

Bloom and Farragher applied the notion of “trauma-organized systems” to the organizations who provide services to traumatized individuals and families (Bloom and Farragher 2010). Their starting point is that organizations are, like individual, living systems (Senge, Scharmer et al. 2004). Being alive, they are vulnerable to stress, particularly chronic and repetitive stress. They asserted that chronic stress stealthily robs an organization of basic interpersonal safety and trust and thereby robs an organization of health. Similarly, they believe that organizations, like individuals, can be traumatized and the result of traumatic experience can be as devastating for organizations as it is for individuals.
”
— Dr. Sandra Bloom, author of The Sanctuary Model

Supporting Staff Wellness

staff wellness, workplace wellness, self-care, self-nourishment, intention setting

When we work in a human service field, we are at risk for compassion fatigue and burn-out if we don’t cultivate intentionality around self-nourishment.

We get stuck in ruts, doing things that may have been effective at one time.
We put everyone else's needs ahead of our own. 
We let our inner critic reign supreme.
We take on feelings of responsibility for the "success" of the people we support. 

Luminate takes a strength-based approach to wellness in the workplace.

Why Jenn Cusick?

Jenn Cusick has worked in community mental health for more than 20 years.

She understands the principles and values of Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR). She has community-based approach to recovery, that is grounded in the principles of the recovery and PSR movements. She currently holds the Certified Psychiatric Rehabilitation Practitioner (CPRP) from PRA.