Organisational Trauma & Staff Wellbeing

“Trauma-informed workplaces offer a sanctuary of safety and support, a place where people can bring their whole selves and be valued for who they are." Sandra L. Bloom, M.D., CTIPP Board Chair, and Founder of Creating PRESENCE.

Trauma, on an individual, team, community, cultural, societal, generational and global level is widespread, complex and multi-layered. It is likely that we will all have experienced some level of trauma in our lifetime.

Trauma Informed Care principles are gaining momentum and being applied across range of sectors including healthcare, social care, education, third sector, and non-profit. In these organisations, it is important to recognise not only that a significant percentage of the workforce will have experienced their own traumas, but that the impact of the work may lead to secondary trauma, vicarious trauma, empathy distress, moral injury and burnout.

The TIC principles of safety, trust & transparency, peer support, collaboration & mutuality, empowerment and cultural humility & responsiveness, should form the bedrock of any decent human interaction and are therefore as relevant for organisational culture and practice as they are for delivery of services.

Using TIC principles, to support the workforce and to consider organisational trauma, can enable cultural and system-wide transformation. A healthy workplace helps organisations and the communities they interact with to thrive.

Creating trauma informed workplaces is an ongoing journey that requires a commitment to learning, reflection, action and evaluation. If you would like us to partner with you please see our services page.

Documents

A guide to use for staff support following an incident or for an end of shift huddle.

A trauma-informed care plan.