Trauma-informed organizations

Now that you understand the prevalence and impact of trauma on a person’s health, let’s discuss how to bring trauma-informed care into an organization. 

Trauma-informed organizations support the delivery of compassionate care by prioritizing staff and patient wellness. Staff are offered the same self-regulation, self-compassion, and self-care skills they provide to their patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has strained human resources in healthcare organizations, creating unprecedented challenges and mental health impacts. For organizations struggling with worker retention and program and service delivery, trauma-informed care offers a way forward.

Trauma-informed organizations acknowledge that safe and respectful care is not just the work of healthcare providers but the responsibility of the entire organization. They also acknowledge that safety extends beyond the client, and that HCPs must be able to count on their organizations to maintain their own safety within the work environment. 

Staff who feel safe and respected in their workplace are more likely to deliver the same care to their patients.

Patients who have experienced trauma can be retraumatized by seemingly safe and standard treatment and procedures. Ensuring trauma-informed physical spaces can help ensure clients have a comfortable visit. For example, ensure parking lots and sidewalks are well lit, directions and signage are provided at frequent intervals, and are clear. Provide staffing such as volunteers to give directions if needed. Minimize potential triggers by limiting noise and disruptions, such as nighttime overhead announcements, loud nurse calls, and hourly rounds at night.

Safe environments also ensure privacy and personal space is respected. Some examples include conducting exams in rooms that don’t feel isolating or confining, and having patients examined by a member of the same gender.

You should always make patients feel understood. For example, providing appropriate interpretation services rather than burdening family members with translation.

Organizations can create emotional safety in their practice by:

• Developing policies that:
  • Clearly state the organization’s commitment to trauma-informed care
  • Prioritize choice, involvement, privacy, and confidentiality
• Promoting awareness and understanding of trauma and its effects across the organization and with each and every staff member
• Changing the language used to describe clients. For example, instead of seeing the person as sick, view them as affected by an injury
• Sharing information and power
• Understanding what trauma and healing means to the client within their cultural context

Committing to TIC means building competence among staff and establishing guidelines that ensure the delivery of trauma-informed services. This includes:

• Recruiting, hiring, and retaining staff
• Involving people with lived experience in every aspect of service delivery
• Developing collaboration across units to streamline referral processes

TIC involves reevaluating all care from a trauma-aware lens, which means honouring the following principles: safety, trustworthiness, collaboration, empowerment, attentiveness to cultural and historical issues, peer support, and mutual self-help.

There are several important mechanisms that can help build trauma-informed organizations. Organizational policies can explicitly refer to the importance of trauma awareness. Hiring practices can include job descriptions that refer to trauma-related knowledge and skills. Staff and patient satisfaction surveys can be transparently reported. Staff can receive ongoing training and employee benefits and wellness programs. 

Implementing these trauma-informed strategies will help build expertise and trust.

Leadership support is critical in implementing true culture change. Leaders at every level can serve as role models and change makers.

Senior leaders have an important role in establishing organizational culture. They have the authority to send a powerful message as change makers by modelling trauma-informed language in their interactions with staff and clients. Senior leaders can strive to maintain visibility and accessibility. Strategies to accomplish this include regular walkabouts to informally meet and engage with staff and clients, holding town halls to share information, and creating processes that allow staff and patients to provide ongoing feedback.

For managers and supervisors, having clear and frequent team communication is essential. Processes such as team rounds, huddles, and debriefs allow staff to provide input and share ideas for improvements.

We hope that this course has introduced you to the core concepts and principles of trauma-informed care. TIC can help staff deliver care that is knowledgeable about trauma and its impacts, while enhancing their own capacity for self-care. 

Trauma-informed care is not the work of a handful of healthcare providers. In order to truly be effective, leaders must commit to its implementation in every aspect of their organizations. Workplaces have a responsibility to create a psychologically safe environment. This includes the application of trauma-informed principles not just for those receiving services, but also for those providing them.

Thank you for taking this course with us.