Trauma Outside the Box

These days we hear more and more about services and programs that call themselves “trauma-informed”. I often find myself curious about what that actually means. When we use the word trauma, we are calling to mind the worst of what we as human beings suffer and do to one another. The consequences of trauma occupy our news every day. In the face of overwhelming oppression and adversity we human beings struggle to cope and survive. As mental health providers, we are given the unique opportunity to accompany folks on the journey of healing. This cannot be accomplished with methods that put people in “boxes” or use one size fits all protocols. This is a thoughtful reflection on this topic: