Why healthcare needs trauma education | Susanna Petche | #049 Mastering Change

So much of what happens in healthcare is shaped by trauma – yet most clinicians are never taught what trauma is or how to recognise it in themselves or their patients. This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Susanna Petche, a GP with 25 years’ experience, who shares how her own misdiagnosed depression eventually revealed an underlying trauma response. That realisation changed her life – and her medical practice. Susanna reflects on the reality that trauma is everywhere in the healthcare system: in people’s symptoms, in their behaviour and in the overwhelm that brings them to a GP or hospital. However, doctors receive no formal education about trauma, no supervision and little support in navigating the emotional impact of their work. She shows how much difference simple, trauma-aware tools can make – from acknowledging how frightening a hospital environment can be, to helping patients regulate their nervous systems in moments of stress. Small shifts like this, she argues, can meaningfully improve care long before large-scale system change becomes possible. We discuss  Why trauma underpins so many physical and mental health presentations How the lack of trauma training leaves clinicians without essential tools Why simple, everyday interventions can improve patient safety and connection What genuine practitioner wellbeing requires - beyond slogans about resilience How AI could support care if implemented with sensitivity Why even one hour of trauma education could transform healthcare Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. Watch this episode on Youtube: https://tinyurl.com/masteringchangepodcastFollow us on instagram: www.instagram.com/masterseventsltdVisit mastersevents.com/oxford-2026 for more details.