What It Really Means to Be Trauma-Informed in Human Services

Trauma and resilience are being talked about more in helping professions, yet what’s often overlooked is how human service organizations can become more trauma-informed and resilient. Is another trauma training really the answer, or is there something deeper that needs to shift within organizations themselves? I’m joined by Brett Loftis, a human rights attorney and child advocate who has spent his career working with children in the court system, many of whom have experienced severe trauma. In 2018, Brett founded the Center for Trauma Resilient Communities, where he helps organizations across the country embed trauma recovery and community resilience into their systems and practices. If you’re in a leadership position or just want to understand more about how trauma shows up in organizations, I learned a lot from Brett’s wisdom, and I know you will too. Skip Ahead: (04:08) How Crossnore supports youth facing adversity. (06:52) What Brett believes new professionals need to know to effectively assist vulnerable youth. (11:20) What challenges organizations typically face around becoming trauma-informed. (13:45) Why addressing the personal experiences of helping professionals is essential to show up and do this work over a career. (16:08) What it looks like to measure an organization’s readiness for trauma-informed practices. (18:04) The surprises leaders uncover from doing organizational assessments. (27:28) What makes for a good partnership, according to Brett. Connect with Brett and learn more about Crossnore Communities for Children and Center for Trauma Resilient Communities.