Organizational Resilience
Trauma-Informed Care
Supporting the wellbeing and resilience of those working in schools, community organizations, healthcare, and other settings that serve trauma-impacted communities.
My specialty is working with direct service organizations such as domestic violence shelters, child welfare services, gang intervention, addiction/recovery facilities as well as non-profits, probation/incarceration facilities, schools and yoga studios.
My work in organizations is grounded in trauma-informed leadership and trauma-informed care. Over 20 years of study and experienced has contributed toward a model that I call the Collective Resilience Model. This is founded on the idea that wellbeing is something we do together.
In organizations working with or within trauma-impacted communities, internal culture is vital. By developing a strong culture of connection, regulation, and shared responsibility, you lay the foundation for offering truly trauma-informed care. (Learn more about the Collective Resilience Model below).
This work is for you if:
- You serve or employ trauma-impacted individuals and communities.
- Your team needs skill-building in working in a trauma-informed way with those you serve.
- You suspect trauma may be getting in the way of efficacy and impact.
- You are concerned about burnout for you and your team.
- There is culture breakdown, which can look like conflict, loss of trust, poor communication, gossip, division, low accountability, low retention.
- Your team needs some tools to sustain the work and their hope inside of it.
Each training is tailored to meet the specific needs of your organization. Prior to coming in, I like to speak to several people from the organization in order to get a sense of what is present and what is needed. I find that people in different departments and levels of leadership have a specific view of the organization. I get the fullest picture by speaking to several people; this allows the group work to be more impactful and authentic.
Trainings can happen with the entire staff or certain departments or even individuals, depending on your needs and issues of concern. I can be available for a free consultation to discuss if this is a good fit.
Contact us to set this up.
The Collective Resilience Model
Trauma Sensitivity Training
Stress Management, Self-Care, Communication, and Creating a Culture of Wellness
The Collective Resilience Model is founded on the idea that wellbeing is something we do together. In organizations and collectives working in trauma-impacted communities or who address the impact of trauma and injustice, building an internal culture that can stay connected and well in the face of stress, trauma, and overwhelm is vital. This also is the foundation of being able to offer trauma-informed care to those you serve.
Cultivating an organizational culture that supports wellbeing, prioritizes connection, and values authentic diversity has to be explicit and ongoing, otherwise, the pull of toxic stress and trauma will take over. The Collective Resilience Model is meant to transform culture in the deepest, most embodied and relational way.
This starts with Trauma-Informed Leadership, which creates the conditions for your teams to thrive by creating an environment that supports Radical Self-Awareness. Authentic self- knowledge, self-regulation, and accountability at all levels allows individuals to participate in a positive work culture. This results in a culture of Belonging, which is resilient and can stay connected in the face of conflict and stress.
What is Trauma-Informed Leadership (TIL)?
- TIL is about understanding that trauma (personal, interpersonal and systemic) is often at the root of organizational breakdown
- This lens allows leaders to find effective strategies and solutions to foster organizational cohesion and resilience
- This is not meant to pathologize people nor turn the workplace into a therapy space; instead, it’s meant to identify contributors to culture breakdown and address them skillfully
When leadership is committed to a trauma-informed approach, they can create the conditions for their teams to thrive. We work with everyone in an organization to build a resilient culture, but we always start with leadership as part of the process. Learn more about our approach here.
What is Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)?
- TIC is an approach that allows organizations to serve trauma-impacted individuals and communities with sensitivity and skill; this approach benefits everyone, even those who do not identify as trauma survivors
- TIC can and should be practiced at all levels of an organization, from the front desk staff and security to clinicians and all providers
- The elements of TIC are: safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, cultural humility, and peer support
- TIC includes acknowledging the impact of oppression and marginalization on people (read my article on the topic here)
Learn more about our offerings and how to work with us.
A trauma sensitive organization prioritizes the wellbeing of its staff and the people it serves. A trauma sensitive approach acknowledges that we all have our own struggles and recognizes our humanity- not just our wounds but our strength and resilience. This is central to creating a culture that supports everyone to thrive and be well.
High stress and trauma affect our ability to cope with challenges in a responsible and effective way. Understanding the impact that stress and trauma have on the mind and body can combat these effects, allowing us to build resiliency, communicate more effectively, and therefore create organizational wellness. Participants will learn to identify their automatic responses to stress and trauma, apply specific strategies to regulate emotions and responses, and use proven techniques to enable clear decision-making and effective, trauma-informed communication. This increase in knowledge and skills will positively impact leadership skills and therapeutic interventions, and help participants to thrive in their work and personal lives.
Topics covered include:
- The impact of stress and trauma on the mind and body
- Tools for self-regulation
- How to build resilience both personally and organizationally
- Healthy communication
- Vicarious trauma
- Self-Care
- Creating a work culture of wellness and sustainability
- Best practices for a trauma informed organization
I can offer this training as a two-hour introduction session, four module series or staff retreat. Schedule and scope to be determined for each organization.
Offerings
Trauma Informed Care (TIC)
Best Practices for Working with Trauma Impacted Individuals and Communities
- Transformative Workshops and Professional Development:
- Strategically designed to share tools and skills while simultaneously fostering a sense of connection and shared experience for your teams.
- Small Group Support and Consultation Sessions:
- Designed to support and respond to specific organizational needs. These can be coaching sessions for leaders needing tools to lead more effectively; they can also be emotional support circles for people grappling with vicarious trauma or burnout.
- Individual Coaching:
- Supporting leadership in their own resilience practices while shifting organizational culture to be a reflection of their values and vision.
- Restorative Retreats:
- Opportunities for people to get connected outside of the stress and urgency of the work they do together. We like to call these ‘organizational date nights’.
- Resources and Tools:
- Curated tools to support your unique needs.
This is a training for organizations and individuals working with trauma impacted individuals and communities in a variety of ways. It can be tailored to educators, non-teaching school staff, people working in community mental health (both as clinicians or administrators), activist organizations, mentor organizations, etc.
TIC is grounded in creating an environment that is sensitive not just to trauma survivors but to all human beings (we’ve all experienced some sort of adversity). TIC trainings are deeply experiential and can be a powerful way to build meaningful and embodied connections between staff as well as offer tangible skills for engaging with clients and colleagues with sensitivity.
Topics covered include:
- Trauma basics- how trauma impacts the body, mind and spirit
- Fostering resilience- what is resilience and what are best practices for strengthening it, not just for our clients but for our staff
- The connection between self-care and TIC delivery
- Equity, inclusion and belonging as part of TIC
- Skillful communication in stressful times
- Creating and reinforcing an organizational culture of care
Trainings are offered as a staff retreat, multiple short sessions or a combination.
How To Work With Us
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Tier 1: LAY THE GROUNDWORK
- 4 team workshops
- 4 coaching hours
- Toolkit
Tier 2: NOURISH THE SOIL
- Pre and post assessment
- 4 team workshops
- 6 coaching hours
- 4 small group support and consultation sessions
- Toolkit
Tier 3: DEEP DIVE (1 year commitment)
- Pre and post assessment
- 4 full team workshops
- 4 small group support and consultation sessions
- Staff retreat
- 10 hours of leadership coaching
- Toolkit
CHOOSE WHAT YOU NEED
- Choose any variation of the above offerings to fit your unique needs.
We never want finances to be an obstacle.
We will do our best to work with you to find a price that is affordable.
Please reach out to discuss.
This workshop is designed as an introduction to the topic of diversity, equity and inclusion. Diversity without authentic inclusion is incomplete and can sometimes result in recreating the dynamics that we wish to challenge. This is an experiential workshop for groups working together wanting to have more diversity in their staff and management or who are diverse and are needing tools to navigate communication and dynamics across difference.
Ideally this is taught as a series, but it can be adapted based on the organizations needs and availability.
Topics covered include:
- Social Justice Basics: power, oppression, privilege, structural violence
- Why diversity is not enough: practicing equity and inclusion
- Reflecting on our own positionality: how where we stand shapes what we see and don’t see
- Communication across difference: boundaries, empathy and deep listening
