Trauma Informed Practice

Learning Outcomes:

• Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of how trauma is defined clinically, what constitutes a traumatic event, and how individuals become traumatized in the first place.
• Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of the ways that trauma effects the whole person and their relationships using the BETR (Body, Emotions, Thoughts and Relationships) Model as a framework. They will also learn a tool for assessing their own impacts from stress (BETR check).
• Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of how trauma effects the brain and nervous system, and how these effects manifest in behaviour and everyday functioning.
• Participants will learn about common myths surrounding trauma treatment and receive research-based information on the basics of trauma treatment and processes to increase their understanding of trauma recovery expectations.
• Participants will leave this workshop with an understanding of the significance of post-trauma responses and how they can aid trauma recovery and improve outcomes in the scope of their role.
• Participants will learn the core tenets of trauma informed practice: choice, voice and control, and have an opportunity to explore how these can be applied in their roles.
• Participants will learn simple but effective tools to help them and the people they work with regulate stress and trauma symptoms.

Workshop Components

• Introductions
• Defining Trauma
• Defining a traumatic event
• The “Trauma Formula”
• How is trauma defined clinically
• Signs and symptoms
• The BETR Model
• The BETR Check 
• Trauma & the Brain
• Limbic system &  the “lizard brain” 
• Trauma treatment myths & mysteries
• The basics of effective practice 
• The impact of post-trauma social responses
• The power of your role in trauma recovery
• “What should I say?”
• “What should I do?”
• Core tenets of trauma informed practice
• Choice, voice, control 
• Simple but effective tools
• The FORGE process 
• Breathing strategies 
• 5-4-3-2-1 grounding 
• Closing