05/24/2022
I went to juvenile court yesterday because I was subpoenaed in a termination of parental rights hearing as a witness for the parent. I am a trauma therapist. While sitting there for four hours, in the waiting area, I noticed how this system is not trauma-informed. Most of the parents that came in have trauma. Then I noticed how there would be groups of people (probation officers, caseworkers, lawyers, etc.) talking about the negative behaviors of the children they were working with. Some of the behavioral responses of the groups would be laughing, negative responses, or negative energy to the conversations within the group. Being a person of color and a trauma therapist it hurt me because of my past trauma. Just slow down and think how this traumatized the parents and children in the waiting area? It creates an atmosphere of miss trust. How will this be fixed to stop the pain?
