TRAUMA-INFORMED PRACTICES
“It is imperative that we critically examine the practices that are being operationalized as trauma-informed and question how and in what ways they might be derivative of colonial perspectives and perpetuate social inequities.”
-Rachael D. Goodman
We are all experiencing the weight of collective trauma, but what does it look like for an organization to navigate that effectively?
Some of the common pitfalls we can fall into is doing trauma based clinical work, but continuing to perpetuate systemic oppression at the organizational level. We want to ensure that we are always seeking to deconstruct and address this, specifically in the ways we engage with insurance systems, legal systems, ethical codes, and patriarchal/ white supremacist frameworks for clinical work.
CTC's Trauma informed practice principles:
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Awareness of the impact of systemic oppression on trauma manifestation, particularly for those who hold multiple intersecting identities.
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Knowledge (of trauma and self) for the therapist and client
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Space for self reflection, body tracking/orienting continuously (in session and out)
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Authenticity- space to be our fullest selves, supporting others in doing the same (creating this for clients and feeling into our boundaries as therapists in the room)
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Intersectional Lens of ourselves and our staff/clients/ community (trauma’s impact exacerbated by other identities/ how others treat those identities)
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Centering our daily task of self regulation and building resiliency
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Regulated relational space to grow, manage conflict, and model parallel process as an organization and in session
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Reminder that healing is not linear or phasal, but ever changing, growing, and shifting
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Client well-being, and their complex identities and trauma manifestations, is our first filter..