“Trauma-informed approaches have become increasingly cited in policy and adopted in practice as a means for reducing the negative impact of trauma experiences and supporting mental and physical health outcomes. They build on evidence developed over several decades.

Trauma-informed practice is an approach to health and care interventions which is grounded in the understanding that trauma exposure can impact an individual’s neurological, biological, psychological and social development.

Trauma-informed practice aims to increase practitioners/ professional’s awareness of how trauma can negatively impact on individuals and communities, and their ability to feel safe or develop trusting relationships with health and care services and their staff.

It aims to improve the accessibility and quality of services by creating culturally sensitive, safe services that people trust and want to use. It seeks to prepare practitioners to work in collaboration and partnership with people and empower them to make choices about their health and wellbeing.

Trauma-informed practice acknowledges the need to see beyond an individual’s presenting behaviours and to ask, ‘What does this person need?’ rather than ‘What is wrong with this person?’.

Join ESSEX PARTNERSHIP UNIVERSITY NHS FOUNDATION TRUST for our free 3 hour Level 1 Introduction to Trauma Training online and gain a certificate of attendance. The training sessions cover the basics of trauma, its impact on individuals, and initial strategies for providing effective support. Whether you’re new to the topic or looking to refresh your knowledge, you are welcome to join us. We run this session once a month and you can sign up for it via our Eventbrite invitations- please join our mailing list to get invites by emailing us at: epunft.see.trauma-alliance@nhs.net

Learning Objectives: Candidates will be able to:

1. Identify what is needed to successfully respond to someone experiencing traumatisation

2. Understand how our responses can inadvertently add to the traumatisation of service users

3. Identify areas for development in practice, organisational environment and policies to enable responsiveness for people experiencing traumatisation

4. Develop strategies for responding to our own needs in protecting against vicarious trauma.”