What does it mean when we talk about “trauma-informed staff wellbeing”? It’s not just a bunch of catchy words
In recent years, the concept of trauma-informed practice has rapidly gained traction across various sectors, from education and healthcare to social services, corporate environments, online spaces, and even approaches used in the design world.
It’s become a buzzword, a hallmark of progressive, compassionate practice that many practitioners, workplaces, and consultants eagerly slap on their taglines and branding. This movement, now almost a trend, aims to create safer, more supportive environments for everyone, acknowledging the pervasive impact of trauma on individuals and communities. However, despite its widespread adoption, the depth and breadth of what it means to be truly trauma-informed often remain misunderstood. It’s not as simple as having an “awareness” of the presence of trauma, or just attending a one-day PD to obtain a certificate.
The allure of being labelled as trauma-informed is undeniable. It signifies an organisation’s commitment to understanding and mitigating the effects of trauma, promoting safety and wellbeing among staff and clients alike. Yet, the true essence of a trauma-informed approach goes beyond the surface level of catchy slogans and well-intentioned policies. It requires a profound shift in perspective, culture, and practice—an ongoing journey rather than a destination.
So, what actually is“trauma-informed” staff wellbeing?
Understanding trauma-informed staff wellbeing involves recognizing that trauma is not just a clinical issue but a human experience that affects how people interact with their world and each other. It’s about creating environments where safety, trust, and empowerment are at the forefront, fostering individual healing, collective growth, and resilience. This approach demands a holistic view, integrating principles of wellbeing science, positive psychology, and mindful practices into everyday interactions and organisational structures. To better understand how this might look, we are going to explore this in a few ways throughout this article.
Understanding the impact of trauma exposure and the human stress response
We understand that both workplaces and life can be stressful and that practitioners may encounter the trauma of others. This recognition is crucial because stress responses can significantly affect our wellbeing and performance. When practitioners are continually exposed to the trauma of those they support, it can lead to vicarious trauma, where the emotional residue of working with trauma survivors can start to take a toll.
To address this, we support teams in several ways:
Recognizing Stress Responses: Educating staff on how to identify signs of stress, compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma in themselves and their colleagues. Awareness is the first step toward managing these responses effectively.
Mitigating Risks: Implementing strategies to reduce the impact of stress and trauma exposure. This might include workload management, promoting work-life balance, and providing access to mental health resources.
Creating Effective Plans: Developing and maintaining comprehensive plans for managing stress and trauma responses. This includes having clear protocols for seeking support, using debriefing sessions to process challenging experiences, and fostering a culture of openness and support.
Supporting ourselves and Each other: Encouraging a team-oriented approach where staff feel comfortable supporting and being supported by their peers. This can be facilitated through regular team check-ins, peer support groups, and fostering a collaborative work environment.
Embedding trauma-informed principles
To genuinely become a trauma-informed workplace, it is essential to apply trauma-informed principles to ourselves and our colleagues. This means embedding the principles of safety, trustworthiness, peer support, collaboration, empowerment, and cultural, historical, and gender sensitivity into the fabric of our organisational culture.
We assist organizations and teams in aligning their policies, procedures, and practices with these principles, ensuring that everyone in your community—not just the clients—receives appropriate support.
Here’s how we can achieve this:
Safety: Create a physically and emotionally safe work environment where staff feel secure. Clear processes, regular check-ins and safe spaces for debriefing can help staff process their experiences and maintain their wellbeing.
For staff working with children, young people, or adults who have experienced trauma, feeling safe, supported, and competent is not just beneficial—it is essential. The nature of this work inherently involves a significant amount of risk and responsibility. Ensuring that staff are well-prepared and adequately supported can make a profound difference in their ability to provide effective care and maintain their own wellbeing.
Trustworthiness: Build and maintain trust through transparency, consistency, and clear communication. Trustworthy practices include clear protocols for feedback and ensuring that staff concerns are addressed promptly.
Peer Support: Foster a culture of mutual support where staff feel comfortable reaching out to one another. Peer support groups, reflective practice, and mentorship programs can help facilitate this.
Collaboration: Encourage teamwork and shared decision-making. Involve staff in creating policies and procedures that affect their work, ensuring they have a voice in the process.
Empowerment: Empower staff by recognising their strengths and providing opportunities for professional growth. Offer training and development programs that enhance their skills and confidence.
Cultural, Historical, and Gender Sensitivity: Be mindful of the diverse backgrounds and experiences of staff. Ensure that policies and practices are inclusive and sensitive to these factors, promoting a respectful and supportive work environment.
Integrating wellbeing science and positive psychology interventions
Trauma-informed practice and understanding our stress response enable us to prevent further harm, create safety, and regulate ourselves. This foundational knowledge is crucial for maintaining a supportive and effective work environment. However, we take it a step further. By integrating wellbeing science and positive psychology interventions, we help you develop strategies to enhance your overall wellbeing, too.
When we work in trauma-affected environments, we made find ourselves focused on deficits, challenges, stress management and working in pretty reactive ways. This can have implications on our wellbeing and our effectiveness, too.
Wellbeing science focuses on understanding what makes life most worth living and applying this knowledge to improve individual and collective wellbeing. By incorporating positive psychology interventions, we can help teams build on their strengths, and focus on growth and solutions while cultivating a positive and healthy workplace.
Concluding thoughts
When workplaces are truly trauma-informed, we see good outcomes for their entire communities. So before slapping the terms on our taglines, let’s ensure we’re integrating this approach responsibly and effectively.
Creating a trauma-informed workplace where staff feel safe, supported, and competent requires a multi-faceted approach, a new perspective and way of being with each other. It’s not just a bunch of catchy words.
We work alongside leaders, teachers, social workers, and a variety of practitioners to respond to wellbeing challenges, enhance trauma-informed practice, and navigate pathways to healing.
If you are curious about what this could look like in your setting, schedule a free consult call with Megan. megan@megancorcoran.com.au
