04/11/2025
This week started with further training in trauma-informed care, and it has really grounded me back into the why behind this work. I’ve found myself reflecting not just on what I do, but on how I show up with the people I support.
Trauma-informed practice isn’t simply a model we “apply” — it’s a way of seeing people. It requires slowing down enough to genuinely hear someone’s story, to understand what has happened in their life and how their nervous system, their relationships, and their daily functioning might still be carrying those experiences.
For me, it’s about sitting beside someone in their distress rather than reacting to the behaviour in front of me. It’s remembering that behaviour makes sense when we understand the context. It’s holding compassion, especially when someone’s emotions or responses might feel big, complex, or difficult to make sense of on the surface.
When we take a trauma-informed approach, we shift the question from “Why are they doing that?” to “What has this person lived through — and what do they need right now to feel safe, understood, and supported?”
It reminds me that healing doesn’t happen because we give advice or jump straight into a strategy. It happens in the moments where a person feels seen, safe, validated, and not judged for the ways they’ve learned to survive.
Being trauma-informed is not just about practice — it’s about posture. It’s about humility, curiosity, and the willingness to understand someone’s lived experience before making assumptions about their behaviour.
Continual learning in this space matters, because people deserve dignity and care that honours their story, not just their symptoms.
