top of page
The Art of Trauma-Informed Care
Categories
Featured Posts






All posts


Promoting Authenticity and Fairness in People-First Organizational Cultures
Building authentic, people-first cultures creates a competitive business advantage. Embracing diverse perspectives and fair treatment of both staff and clients. This promotes creativity, effective problem-solving, and retention.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jun 175 min read


Genuine Collaboration: Every Voice Matters in People-First Culture
Learn how to build genuine collaboration in your workplace through trust, inclusive decision-making, and shared accountability for innovation and lasting success.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jun 109 min read


Honest Communication: How to Build Trust and Transform Your Team
Through words, actions, and choices, you’re constantly communicating. Honest communication is a skill and a choice, and requires courage to share difficult truths, admit mistakes, and create space for hard conversations. When organizations embrace honest communication, trust builds, problems get solved faster, and people focus on work instead of managing anxiety of the unknown.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jun 36 min read


Safety and Respect: The Foundation of People-First Culture
No other element of a people-first culture can exist without safety, and safety can’t be achieved without respect for our differences.

Shenandoah Chefalo
May 286 min read


A Brief History of Trauma-Informed Core Principles: SAMHSA, Sanctuary, and Beyond
No single person or organization “owns” trauma-informed principles. Understanding the history of how these principles evolved empowers us to continue their development ourselves.

Shenandoah Chefalo
May 155 min read


Getting (Back) Into Your Body: Reconnecting in Life and Work
In Western culture, we often treat mental health and physical health separately, when in fact, they are inextricable. Emotions such as hate, anger, love, and hope are whole-body experiences.
Here, we explore how trauma perpetuates this disconnection, examine how our bodies influence our mental states (and vice versa), and offer practical strategies for rebuilding body awareness.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Apr 235 min read


Four Core Beliefs that Fuel Trauma-Informed vs Traditional Approaches
Trauma-informed practices cannot take root where beliefs do not support them. Here are 4 core beliefs that fuel trauma-informed approaches.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Apr 87 min read


The Art of Workplace Tolerance: Practices You Can Use Today
Explore the art of practicing tolerance in the workplace and learn how you can start applying it today.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Mar 119 min read


Change is Teamwork: Team Accountability to Workplace Well-being
Teamwork plays a strong role in promoting workplace well-being. Shared agreements & mutual accountability lead to well-being for everyone.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Feb 256 min read


Change is an Inside Job: Personal Accountability to Workplace Well-being
Building workforce well-being is an inside job. True transformation begins with personal accountability and intentional self-work.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Feb 184 min read


35 “Yes, and” Phrases to Embrace Paradox
One way to embrace paradox is by adopting a "Yes, and" approach—an intentional shift that fosters complexity, understanding, and innovation.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Feb 115 min read


What Does Safety at Work Really Mean?
Workplace safety goes beyond physical wellbeing and doesn't just mean feeling comfortable. Safety at work builds trust and resilience.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Feb 45 min read


Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) and What It Means for Your Organization
Positive experiences protect individuals against the effects of trauma. This is applied to organizations using trauma-informed approaches.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 284 min read


BRAVING: 7 Elements of Trust-Building at Work
Trust isn't just nice to have. It's critical for safety and efficiency. Use the 7 elements in BRAVING to help your team build trust at work.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 217 min read


What are Trauma-Informed Approaches?
What exactly does it mean to be "trauma-informed," and why is it so important?

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 145 min read


The Flip Side of Organizational Resilience: The Anatomy of a Non-Resilient Organization
Explore characteristics of non-resilient organizations to understand how trauma-informed approaches create organizational resiliency.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Jan 76 min read


The Five Ss of Trauma-Informed Leadership
Trauma-informed leadership is essential to creating thriving workplaces. The Five Ss is a simple framework for embedding TI principles.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 31, 20244 min read


Why Celebrating Small Wins Matters
Celebrating small wins is essential for keeping your team motivated, engaged, and focused on progress. Here's how.

Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 24, 20244 min read


7 Powerful Benefits of Theater for Trauma Recovery
Trauma can trap individuals in cycles of pain, disconnection, and emotional paralysis. Creative solutions, such as drama and theater, can...

Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 17, 20244 min read


10 Powerful Questions to Discover Your Own Trauma-Informed Solutions at Work
Asking meaningful questions is valuable for gaining clarity and is particularly helpful in building a trauma-informed culture. Use these...

Shenandoah Chefalo
Dec 10, 20245 min read
bottom of page