Day 3 - Elise Colquitt, MSW - The Trauma-Informed Provider: Supporting Patients Through Early Diagnosis Navigation

What if the patient you see as "difficult" is actually traumatized? For many living with Sjogren's, years of medical dismissal, normal lab results despite debilitating symptoms, and being told "it's all in your head" can create significant medical trauma.In this essential session, Child Trauma Response Specialist and Sjogren's patient Elise Colquitt bridges her two worlds to offer a masterclass in trauma-informed care. Drawing on her expertise in forensic interviewing and trauma therapy, she reveals how common patient behaviors—like bringing in binders of research or minimizing symptoms—are often protective defense mechanisms. She provides concrete, actionable strategies that providers can use to create emotional safety, build trust, and deliver a diagnosis with compassion.Whether you are a healthcare professional seeking to improve patient outcomes or a patient wanting to understand your own responses to the healthcare system, watch this session to learn how one validating experience can heal years of dismissal.SESSION IN A GLANCE02:35 What Medical Trauma Looks Like in Patients03:31 Defense Mechanisms vs. Difficult Behaviors08:52 The High Cost of Unrecognized Trauma09:57 Creating a Trauma-Informed Environment12:52 How Your Opening Question Sets the Tone16:19 Words That Matter: Trauma-Informed Language18:28 How to Manage Diagnosis Delivery with Care22:59 Building a Patient's Network in Real Time25:05 Your Trauma-Informed Toolkit: Knowledge into ActionABOUT ELISE COLQUITT, MSWElise Colquitt is a Child Trauma Response Specialist who provides Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and facilitates trauma-informed forensic interviews. Her professional expertise in trauma response, combined with her personal journey as a Sjogren's patient, informs her work through SPARK Advocacy Collective. Her unique perspective allows her to address the intersection of medical trauma and chronic illness, teaching evidence-based strategies to create emotionally safe environments and transform the provider-patient relationship into a collaborative partnership.CONNECT WITH ELISE COLQUITTWebsite → https://sparkadvocacycollective.com/LinkedIn → www.linkedin.com/in/elise-colquitt-700013180Presentation Slides → https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XS80wOWTtGXalVQP8PKzDpu9tR7ZxlNw/view?usp=drive_linkABOUT THE VIRTUAL SJOGREN'S SUMMITThe Virtual Sjögren's Summit is an annual patient-led online event dedicated to providing accessible, high-quality education and fostering a supportive global community for everyone touched by Sjögren's. Our mission is to build networks of support, knowledge, and hope.