It is important for a social worker to be trauma informed to understand the intersectionality between intimate partner violence (IPV), family violence (FV), trauma, culturally responsive practice, and the crucial importance of self-care. According to Cathy Cave, Senior Training Consultant at th National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health, highlighting the strengths of clients affected by trauma while creating a safe and supportive environment where they can possibly regain their sense of self is vital to healing. Understanding what clients believe might be helpful for them is key. Recognizing the fluidity of our experiences and how moments of disconnection shape our self-identity through lived experiences, such as historical trauma, interpersonal violence, community dynamics, and organizational behaviors and attitudes, plays a role in restoring a sense of community and culture.
After listening to Grant speak about his childhood abuse, I learned that being culturally responsive means recognizing that abuse does not discriminate based on gender, socioeconomic status, age, or other factors. As a future social worker, I understand the importance of maintaining professional boundaries. Through a trauma informed lens, it is clear that Grant's worldview, especially regarding trust in others, may be distorted due to years of abuse. His experiences of dissociation and intrusive thoughts of harming others in school could be trauma responses to the incest he endured while remaining silent for years.
Being mindful of my own reactions to his story ensures that I maintain healthy boundaries to prevent countertransference, transference, and/or vicarious trauma. Being trauma informed helps me manage my own fears or implicit biases, allowing me to engage with victims in a supportive and grounded way rooted in cultural sensitivity. As a future social worker, I will be mindful of my positionality as a woman and how that may influence the feelings of safety for both myself and the client. For example, Grant faced immense psychological pressure due to traditional gender roles of the stigma for males to not speaking out about the abuse they experienced, particularly when he sought help from his father, who remained complicit, as his mother was the perpetrator. Understanding these dynamics is crucial when working with victims through a culturally responsive, trauma informed lens (Soft White Underbelly, 2023).
The Importance of Trauma-Informed Organizations
It is also important for an organization to be trauma informed because trauma reminders can exist in the spaces where people work and interact. Organizations need to understand how environmental, relational, community, and social stressors affect groups within their structures. When organizations adopt trauma informed practices, they foster a sense of safety, trustworthiness, and transparency, offering support and empowering individuals through culturally responsive policies that address cultural, historical, and gender related issues (Regional Research Institute for Human Services, n.d.). Although being trauma informed is not therapy, it empowers every individual within an organization with knowledge of how trauma impacts us all, and prioritizes emotional regulation and healing through compassionate, supportive care. For example, health systems often attempt to implement trauma informed care at the clinical level without the necessary supports for widespread organizational culture change, which can result in uneven and unsustainable shifts in day-to-day operations. A narrow clinical focus can overlook the role non-clinical staff, such as front desk workers and security personnel, play in keeping clients affected by trauma safe (Trauma-Informed Care, n.d.).
The Importance of Trauma-Informed Organizations
It is also important for an organization to be trauma informed because trauma reminders can exist in the spaces where people work and interact. Organizations need to understand how environmental, relational, community, and social stressors affect groups within their structures. When organizations adopt trauma informed practices, they foster a sense of safety, trustworthiness, and transparency, offering support and empowering individuals through culturally responsive policies that address cultural, historical, and gender related issues (Regional Research Institute for Human Services, n.d.). Although being trauma informed is not therapy, it empowers every individual within an organization with knowledge of how trauma impacts us all, and prioritizes emotional regulation and healing through compassionate, supportive care. For example, health systems often attempt to implement trauma informed care at the clinical level without the necessary supports for widespread organizational culture change, which can result in uneven and unsustainable shifts in day-to-day operations. A narrow clinical focus can overlook the role non-clinical staff, such as front desk workers and security personnel, play in keeping clients affected by trauma safe (Trauma-Informed Care, n.d.).
Empowering Victims Through Trauma-Informed Approaches
Dr. Van der Kolk addresses significant questions about trauma in a podcast with Thomas Hübl on "The Cumulative Effects of Trauma." He discusses how his father escaped a German concentration camp with the help of a guard, and how his father would call him "Barnabas, Son of Consolation." However, despite this, Dr. Van der Kolk observed his father behaving like a Nazi. This experience led him to dedicate his life to studying trauma and its effects on people, seeking to answer questions like, "Why do people say one thing and do another?"
When reflecting on the Holocaust, what resonated with me was Dr. Van der Kolk's personal account of growing up as a Dutch boy with a love for German music. He had to come to grips with the question of how people who could create such beautiful, peaceful music could also commit such horrific atrocities. In addressing these painful questions, Dr. Van der Kolk emphasizes that trauma can be healed by staying mindful of the present and practicing self-compassion. For example, victims of trauma can become aware of their somatic, physiological responses and take steps like taking deep breaths or bringing their shoulders back to create a sense of safety in their bodies. A trauma informed approach helps mental health professionals heal victims of IPV and FV by creating an environment that fosters awareness of the victims strengths, safety, awareness, and empathy (Hübl, 2023).
Personal Reflections: Grant’s Story and Maintaining Boundaries