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Helping Through Trauma 

11-15-2024 06:31 PM

“Trauma” is a loaded term. It may be too loosely tossed around by some and wrongly downplayed by others. It can stem from a specific incident as well as systemic factors. But regardless of whether one is talking about small- or capital-T trauma, it is a word and a concept receiving greater attention from scholars and practitioners across a variety of fields.
 
It would be easy to attribute that increased focus to living in a post-pandemic world, but the professional implications of trauma (and related concepts such as burnout, compassion fatigue, and secondary or vicarious trauma) have been studied for decades, primarily in what could be called the caring professions such as the medical field and first responders. If there has been an evolution, it is the transition from focusing on strategies for individuals to manage and address their trauma to a broader and more holistic approach that explores organizational health. And sitting at the head of that (hopefully) healthier organization are the advocates of what has come to be known as trauma-informed leadership.
 
To learn more about how trauma-informed leadership could impact the campus housing profession, the Talking Stick gathered four scholars and practitioners who have focused their work on individual stressors, occupational pressures, and other forces that can be detrimental to organizational health, as well as strategies and recommendations to overcome them. Jason Lynch is an assistant professor of higher education at Appalachian State University; Molly Mistretta is an assistant professor and the chair of the Department of Counseling and Development at Slippery Rock University; Jamarco Clark is the vice chancellor for student affairs at the University of Illinois Springfield; and Erik Sorensen is the associate director of residence life at Washington State University.

#EnablingWorkforceSustainability

Helping Through Trauma (Talking Stick)
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Zachary Cleland
11-18-2024 10:38 AM

YES! Trauma informed care and leadership are so important. Two things I have found that have helped me more easily maintain a trauma informed mind set is 1. (As mentioned in the article) assume everyone is carrying some form of trauma with them. Worst case scenario you treat someone with more care than they need and 2. Knowing that trauma can be subjective. Someone may be sharing something with you that seems small but for them was and is huge.

I actually just gave a presentation at AIMHO on trauma and crisis that touched on some of this. Love seeing this here

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