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When we discuss implementing trauma-informed change, the conversation largely surrounds how we live trauma-informed values. How does our behavior reflect our values? What about our lifestyle choices, how we engage in relationships, or our attitude toward life’s challenges? When we reflect, we recognize that there are many ways we live trauma-informed values, but there are also many areas where we can improve. So, once we’ve identified the areas we’d like to change, the question becomes, how do we accomplish that change? If you want the simple answer, it’s ritualization. What is Ritualization? When we think of rituals, our minds might immediately turn to spirituality. However, ritualization does not require religion. Ritualization is about traditions. Maybe you have a tradition, a ritual , of having a Christmas party every year or going to your favorite restaurant for a birthday dinner. Traditions can also happen more often than once a year. Taco Tuesdays or pizza on Friday nights can also be traditions. How we respond to conflict, the processes we have in place for connection, and our behavior surrounding reunions or goodbyes can all be ritualized. Sometimes, these rituals happen naturally with little thought behind them. But we can also be conscious of which traditions we decide to create. Why Ritualization is a Great Accountability Tool When we use ritualization to embed a practice into our lives, the absence of that tradition becomes obvious. Consider how difficult it was if you couldn’t adhere to traditions that called for you to visit your family over the holidays due to COVID-19 travel advisories and restrictions. The pandemic disrupted many of our traditions—like our morning commutes to work, the necessity for meal prep, and regular outings with friends. The weight of the absence of a tradition is part of why it is such a great accountability tool. The other main reason is that once a practice is ritualized, it becomes automatic. It is expected, anticipated, or even revered. It becomes sacred because we make it sacred. Routines also help create stability in our lives. In turn, this supports our sense of safety, allowing us to remain present and responsive rather than becoming reactive and succumbing to trauma brain. How to Ritualize Trauma-Informed Behaviors Ritualization isn’t something you “just do,” it’s a process that takes consistent time, effort, and collaboration to achieve. Think about a daily habit you have or a habit you’ve tried to gain in the past. It could be a morning cup of coffee or an after-school discussion with your kids. Maybe it’s the way you enjoy dinner or the time you spend with your pets after a long day at work. This daily habit didn’t just happen one day. It began as a single action that turned into a repeated effort. This repetition may have been spotty initially, but then it became something you did every day. And now that this practice has been ritualized, a day without it feels off. But the truth is most of our rituals do just happen, in a sense. Sometimes they’re ours, and sometimes they’re inherited. You probably didn’t decide, “I’m going to have a cup of coffee every morning next year.” So, how do we intentionally ritualize a practice—and what practices do we want to ritualize anyway? Start with a goal This process of creating a habit will work with anything. Whether you want to go running more often or create a system for navigating conflict at work, your ritual will begin with a clear goal. Make the goal so small it’s 110% manageable Having specific goals is a great way to set and achieve goals, but we often set our sights too high. Instead, we want to create goals so manageable that there’s no reason we can’t do them. For example, let’s say our main goal is to manage conflict better. We want to ensure quick and effective conflict resolution at work. Our manageable goal will be to reflect daily on the conflict we encountered at work. This practice only needs to take a few minutes. And, if a few minutes every day isn’t manageable, we’ll start with every other day or every Friday. Communicate the goal with others Sharing your goals with others and planning to check in with them about your progress is a great method for holding yourself accountable and actually achieving what you set out to do. If you can get a friend or colleague to commit to a goal with you, that’s even better. Eliminate barriers to your goal Even though your goal should already be easy to achieve, we want to make it even easier. So, if your goal is to write down three times you experienced conflict, we’ll make it easier to achieve by deciding when and where you’ll do this ahead of time. This eliminates the barrier of deciding when to do your task. To eliminate the barrier of needing to acquire a pen and paper, you’ll open a notebook to a blank page and leave a pen on top of it. Since it’s on your desk at work, you must have the task done before you leave for the day. Eliminating barriers can look like setting out the clothes or tools that you’ll need for the next day. It can mean tidying up at night, so you don’t procrastinate in the morning by cleaning. Eliminating barriers to your ritual will set you up for lasting success. Recognize that true success is returning after you’ve failed When trying to embed a new practice into your life, your attempts at forming a habit, routine, or ritual will fail. Your goal will be to do something every day, and one day, you won’t do it. This small failure is a chance to come back to the ritual—which is a powerful choice that you can make. The real success in ritualization isn’t not forgetting or not skipping it. It’s coming back after you have failed. It’s trying again and not giving up. Avoid rigid expectations for achievement Along with all the ideas so far, you’ll need a flexible idea of success and achievement in order to ritualize trauma-informed practices. Even if you’ve gone two weeks without doing your ritualization activity, you can still come back to it. That’s not failure. Failure is giving up. Work your way up to regularity It’s unrealistic to think that you’ll decide to ritual on day one and have the ritual in place by day two. Give yourself time. Forming habits and routines is a challenge, and you’ll need to be gentle with yourself and your team as you work your way up to the larger goal you hope to accomplish. Creating Collective Trauma-Informed Traditions These steps for ritualizing trauma-informed behaviors are framed in an individualized way because all change starts from inside you. Trauma-informed implementation is an inside-out job. However, through collaboration, each of us can work together to create collective trauma-informed traditions, such as community meetings or round-table discussions. If you’d like to decide as a community which routines and rituals you’d like to engage in, these questions can help: How do we start our day together? How would we like to? How do we end the workday? How would we like to? How do we facilitate meetings? What could we change? What do we need more of? Is it connection, gratitude, recognition, celebration, physical activity, or quiet time to reflect? Trauma-informed care and implementation are often framed as a way to create happier, healthier, and more productive teams. And while that is exactly what we can achieve through TIC, we also have to remember that it is largely about personal development. Trauma-informed practices support your individual wellbeing, and through your wellness, you can support others. So, when discussing how to ritualize practices at work in a collaborative way, our focus should always be on what will support individual wellbeing. Learn More About Trauma-Informed Care If you believe that you or your organization could benefit from trauma-informed implementation, consider booking a free consultation with a trauma-informed specialist to learn more. In the meantime, be sure to check out more content about trauma-informed care, including how to apply TIC practices and values, in our trauma-informed blog .

Trauma-informed leadership is crucial if you want to accomplish trauma-informed change in your organization. Here’s some expert advice on how you can become a trauma-informed leader. 1 Acknowledge that cultural change is just as important as technical change When we talk about organizational change, our problem-solving brains are often focused on technical change. We ask, “ What processes can we put in place to prevent this issue?” when we should be asking, “What cultural norms are contributing to this issue, and how can we shift?” Trauma-informed leaders know that cultural changes are just as—if not more— important as technical changes. Exploring all the nuanced differences between the technical versus the cultural is a bigger task than we can do here. But the good news is that we already covered how to create lasting change at work by understanding cultural shifts here . 2 Become a catalyst for cultural change through personal development Trauma-informed leadership is a key piece of trauma-informed implementation because many organizational issues trickle down from leaders who exhibit toxic behaviors as the result of their trauma responses. When we’re stuck in trauma brain, we cannot access our executive functioning skills. We become stuck in a trauma state where we cannot think about the future, be curious or open-minded, or see the bigger picture. To get out of trauma brain and into executive functioning mode, we need to do some heavy lifting in our personal development. Trauma-informed leaders know the science behind trauma, but they also utilize trauma-informed methods and skills in their everyday life to grow as an individual. So, if you want to become a trauma-informed leader, you need to make a conscious decision to make your personal development a priority. When you do, you become a catalyst for cultural change in your organization. If you like the sound of that, these 7 Tips for Creating Cultural Change at Work could be the next best step on your personal development journey. 3 Put in the work to create paradigm shifts Cultural change is at the heart of trauma-informed work, and a major part of cultural change involves participating in paradigmatic shifts. You can think of the current paradigm as “the way things are.” A paradigm is a group of collective beliefs, behaviors, and social norms. And, in modern America, our paradigms are toxic (if you haven’t already noticed). We often fall into the trap of thinking work should be the only thing we care about in life or that our value is based on the quality of work we produce or how much money we make. We have toxic beliefs surrounding failure and criticism, and black-and-white thinking dominates our paradigm. Well, trauma-informed leaders can identify the existing and desired paradigms, and then put in the work to shift the paradigm. If you want to learn more about paradigm shifts, you can read up on it here . 4 Live trauma-informed values every day It’s easy to say, “Yeah, I agree with these values. They seem great.” It’s another task to embody those values. The Sanctuary 7 Commitments and SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles are the building blocks of trauma-informed values. While we often encourage organizations to develop their own trauma-informed value systems, these are a great reference for trauma-informed leaders. Trauma-informed leaders will embody these values each and every day. Have you heard the phrase how you do anything is how you do everything ? When you start to embed trauma-informed practices into your life, you'll be able to use this lens with everything you do, see, and experience. We’ve provided some expert advice with 9 Ways to Embody Trauma-Informed Values for curious leaders. 5 Use ritualization as a trauma-informed tool Ritualization is a useful trauma-informed tool to embed what we’re learning into our life. Through habits and routines, we can make trauma-informed practice second nature. We can live trauma-informed values without needing to make a conscious decision every time. Ritualization is an extremely powerful tool to hold yourself and your teams accountable throughout the trauma-informed implementation process. Final Thoughts: Become a Trauma-Informed Leader Today You don’t need a fancy certificate to call yourself a trauma-informed leader, but expert training and coaching can support you and your organization on your journey from trauma-aware to trauma-informed and beyond. Watch our free on-demand webinar Trauma-Informed Leadership 101: Foundations for Wellness at Work or schedule a free consultation with a trauma-informed specialist to learn more.

Establishing safety at work is one of the most important aspects of creating a trauma-informed workplace, but creating safety is easier said than done. When we discuss trauma-informed beliefs, practices, and values, we often explore big-picture concepts and systems. While this is an essential piece of the work, sharing specific, actionable steps can often improve our understanding better than big-picture ideas can. Here are some concrete and relatively simple ways to create safety at work, even if you’re new to trauma-informed work. 1 - Plan for “unexpected” sick days People always say, “expect the unexpected,” and in business models, preparing for the worst can save a business. Still, we often fail to prepare for expected challenges—like sudden absences when employees fall ill. An easy way to establish safety at work is to create a plan to cope with employee absences. If an employee thinks, “My work will fall to pieces if I call out today. I can’t take time off,” then they’ll be resistant to taking time off, even when they need it due to illness or burnout. However, if your company has a solid plan in place (dare I say, a ritual ?), then employees know their absence won’t create chaos. They’ll feel secure knowing that they can rest and recover with no negative repercussions. If the truth is that your organization will fall apart if someone takes an unexpected day off, then you might need to examine some larger cultural and organizational problems taking place. 2 - Ensure employees take enough breaks The modern American workday asks us to give roughly 8-10 hours of our time and attention 4-6 days a week to our employers. That’s a lot of time. No one is capable of working at full capacity for 8 hours straight with no breaks. Then, consider that humans are healthiest when we eat three meals a day every 3-4 hours. Our mental and physical wellbeing both require adequate periods of rest to replenish our energy. Without enough breaks, we become stressed out and overworked. When we’re burnt out, we can experience negative psychological and physiological changes, including brain fog, forgetfulness, trouble focusing, fatigue, muscle pain, and even disease. So, if you want to establish safety at work, ensure that your employees know they can take breaks when they need or want to—and reinforce this cultural norm by not punishing employees who take ample breaks and encouraging employees to take more breaks. 3 - Normalize emotions at work with Community Meetings It’s a very common belief that emotions have no place in a professional setting. When you use a trauma-informed perspective, it becomes obvious that emotions are essential to ensure professional environments are as productive as they can possibly be. Emotions and vulnerability are components of healthy, stable relationships, and positive relationships contribute to improved collaboration, teamwork, and communication. I teach my clients to normalize emotions at work through a trauma-informed tool known as a Community Meeting. A Community Meeting is a short pre-meeting that you hold before your main meeting or session. In a Community Meeting, each participant answers three questions with a simple answer: What are you feeling? What is your goal for our time together? Who can you ask for support? The goal of a community meeting is to take the emotional temperature of the room. It can be helpful for everyone involved to be aware of each other’s emotional states. For example, you might learn that someone’s dog recently passed away, and they’re coping with their grief. You might see a pattern that half of your team is feeling really stressed about an upcoming project deadline. You might notice that one or team members are especially motivated after coming back from vacation. Community Meetings make it possible for you to approach others with sensitivity and emotional awareness. They help build a strong, connected community. And, they normalize talking about emotions at work. 4 - Resist and intervene We live in a society where problematic beliefs are normal: racism, sexism, ableism, islamophobia, homophobia, and much, much more. When we’re raised in a culture with white supremacy deeply embedded into our culture and history, we often fail to recognize when we push negative and harmful beliefs onto others. But, with awareness, we can change our actions and language—and we can intervene when we recognize that other people’s behavior is actively harmful. There are behaviors that can make us feel unsafe, especially if we have less power (social, perceived, or actual) than the perpetrator, such as shaming, bullying, harassment, and racism. When we witness these behaviors—or notice that we are harming others—we can re-establish safety at work by resisting or intervening. This is a bigger conversation than we can have right here, but the important thing to take away is that you can make a difference by standing up for human rights, even through small interactions like micro-resistance. 5 - Delegate decision-making power and communicate plans with employees Employees often feel unsafe making decisions. They might worry about potential repercussions or feel as though their decision simply wouldn’t be good enough. Empowerment is a trauma-informed value that can create safety. You can give your team more autonomy by clearly communicating who has what decision-making power. We often come to unspoken agreements regarding who makes decisions. Usually, it’s the higher-ups. Then, there becomes a pattern where everything needs approval from a higher-up before moving forward. If communication fails, change halts. Generally, I’ve found that the higher-ups usually appreciate team members making decisions for themselves. So, have an explicit conversation about who has the power to decide what, what suggesting ideas and requesting approvals look like, and when you might need to request approval. When in doubt, you can always ask, “Do I have the power to make this decision?” You might be surprised to find that you’ve always had the power. 6 - Set ground “rules” at work It’s easy to go about our lives assuming that other people think and behave in the same or similar ways as we do. But that’s not true at all. One person’s idea of appropriate behavior at work can be completely different for someone else. We often have different ideas of what respect, good communication, conflict resolution, and active listening look like. So, you can help create safety at work by making sure everyone is on the same page about how you do things at work (ideally, these ground “rules” embody trauma-informed values ). I use “rules” as a loose term because these shouldn’t be rigid definitions where people are punished when they fail to meet expectations. More so, our ground “rules” outline our expectations. They give us an idea of how to behave in certain situations. They are also likely to change and develop as your team works out the best ground “rules” for them. Your team’s ground rules can answer questions like: How would we prefer to handle conflict? What behaviors create an unsafe workspace for us? What is the best way to navigate a situation when our ground rules are broken? What are our boundaries? How do we prefer to…? Keep in mind that there is space for different team members to have different answers to these questions. The most important goal of setting ground rules is to understand each other. 7 - Teach employees about the subsets of safety If your organization’s goal is to create safety at work, then educating your employees about the various subsets of safety (and how to achieve each one) is a great place to start. Safety is a complex topic, especially when we use a trauma-informed lens to talk about it. When creating safety at work, it’s important to remember that safety encompasses: physical safety psychological safety social safety moral safety cultural and racial safety 8 - Commit to trauma-informed implementation Finally, one of the best ways to accomplish safety at work is to commit to trauma-informed organizational change. Trauma-informed implementation is typically a 3-year process that embeds evidence-based trauma-informed practices and values into the core of your organization. The trauma-informed framework offers many benefits for organizations and individuals, and safety at work is just one of them. For more information about establishing safety at work or the trauma-informed model, schedule a free consultation with a trauma-informed expert today.

If you’re familiar with the trauma-informed space, you know that we often talk about the experience of feeling seen, heard, and valued. We talk about creating space at the table for everyone, practicing vulnerability to strengthen relationships, and holding ourselves accountable when we make mistakes. These are all great topics to discuss, but it can prove challenging to distill these larger ideas into practice. But, when we talk about apologizing, we wrap all of these complex concepts up into a single practice. It’s a common trauma-state response to want to avoid conflict. Conflict can feel dangerous. Some of us may have experiences where conflict was dangerous. While avoiding conflict may have worked as a successful tool to stay safe in the past, this adaptive behavior does not serve us in our professional lives. Repairing conflict creates stronger relationships, ensures better teamwork, and encourages more collaboration. And we cannot repair conflict by avoiding it. You might think that you already know how to apologize—and that might be true. But this step-by-step guide to apologizing (with helpful templates) is a trauma-informed resource that we believe can benefit anyone. Step 1: Create safety and put down your defenses Sometimes, an apology will come in the heat of the moment. Other times, you might feel the need to seek someone out to give an apology after the fact. In either situation, the first step to apologizing is creating safety. To create a safe environment, you need to make sure that you are not dysregulated. You need to bring down your defenses. When giving an apology, defensiveness can show up in different ways. You might think, “I didn’t mean to hurt them,” or “It’s not that big of a deal.” Defensive statements serve to protect your ego, and they often come from a place of trauma. However, they don’t serve your goal of repairing conflict. These statements can make the other person feel unsafe and unheard. Although your side of the story is important, an apology is about seeing someone else’s side of the story. So, to create safety when giving an apology, there are a few things we can do: Use a gentle, non-combative tone of voice when speaking. Avoid aggressive body language, like slamming doors or pacing. Ask for consent to give an apology or have a conversation about a specific topic. We can also use certain words and phrases to establish safety. You might say: “I just want to remind you that this situation isn’t a me-versus-you scenario. It’s an us-versus-the-problem situation, and I’m committed to working together with you to resolve this conflict.” “We’re a team, and I see you as a friend. I don’t want this conflict to push us apart.” “I’m here now because I care about you and how you feel.” Why is creating safety the first step to giving an apology? Some people might see this step as unnecessary. From a trauma-informed perspective, this step is non-negotiable. Why? When we use a trauma-informed perspective, we operate with universal precaution. Universal precaution encompasses the idea that anyone can have trauma. Since anyone may have trauma, we must act as though everyone has trauma. When we act as though everyone has trauma, it becomes clearer why establishing safety is essential to giving an apology. If the receiver of the apology is stuck in trauma brain, they cannot properly listen, process, or understand. They may feel unsafe, threatened, or scared. Instead of being present, they will fight, flee, freeze, or appease. Step 2: Validate feelings and experience Once you’re sure that you’re in the right headspace to give an apology and you’ve established an atmosphere of safety, it’s time for step two: validation. Emotional validation is the act of acknowledging and accepting a person’s thoughts, feelings, and inner experiences. When we validate someone’s emotions, we are essentially saying, “It makes sense that you feel that way. Your emotions are valid.” We can use those words, but we can also phrase it in different ways: “I understand why you feel this way.” “If that happened to me, I’d feel that way, too.” “Anyone would feel that way if that happened to them.” “I see that you feel this way because…” “When this happened, I know it made you feel…” “It’s understandable why you would think that.” “I can see how you would feel that way.” “That must have been really difficult for you.” When you validate, you don’t need to agree on the facts of what happened. The goal is to acknowledge that you see their side of things and communicate that you understand how they feel. This is a great place to practice empathy. When we’re hurt, we often desire that the person who hurt us understands what it feels like. We want to feel seen, heard, and respected. When we’re validated, we receive all that and more. That’s why this stage of repairing conflict can be extremely healing. Step 3: Apologize with specific details It might come as a surprise that step three to apologizing is the apology itself. Once you’ve established safety and validated the person's emotions, you’re ready to say sorry. When apologizing, it’s important that you’re specific and genuine in your apology. This part is where you will hold yourself accountable (which, if you’re in trauma brain, is extremely difficult). Try to avoid statements like “I’m sorry you feel” or “I’m sorry that happened” when you are at fault in a scenario (even if your intentions were good or it was an accident). Instead, seek to take accountability by saying, “I’m sorry I made you feel that way” or “I’m sorry I did that.” You might also want to say: “I made a mistake, and I’m owning that mistake.” “It was wrong of me to do that.” “When I said that, I wasn’t being considerate.” “What I did was inappropriate.” If you use these examples, be sure to add your own details. Make it clear that you understand how your actions or words have affected the other person. Saying sorry without knowing why you’re apologizing isn’t an apology. How do I apologize if I’m not sorry? It’s possible that you don’t feel any remorse for what you did. The truth is, you might not be in the wrong at all. You don’t need to feel any shame or guilt. But you can still give a genuine apology. Consider this scenario. Your organization has certain systems and processes in place. You do your job a certain way, as you always have. A new hire begins working with you. They are unaware of how the current team normally functions to get a task done. They have an issue with how you do something. Who’s in the wrong here? No one, really. Does that make the new hire’s feelings any less valid? No. It is possible for there to be no blame or fault in a situation that calls for an apology. It is both possible and common that our actions cause injury to others even when those actions are not necessarily wrong. So, if you’re not sorry, but you want to give an apology, consider what you can apologize for. In the situation with the new hire, you might say: “I didn’t know how my actions would affect you. Because of that unawareness, I offended you, and I’m sorry for that.” “I’m sorry that I didn’t communicate better regarding this project. I wasn’t sensitive to the fact that you’re new to the team and might need some more guidance than our other colleagues.” Step 4: Reassure and re-establish safety Once the apology is delivered, the apology still isn’t over. Next, you’ll want to re-establish safety and reassure the person of whatever they might feel insecure about. In a professional setting, reassurance might look like this: “I want you to know that I never intended to hurt you, and I would never intentionally harm you.” “You deserve praise and recognition for the hard work you do. I never meant to take credit for your work.” “I wasn’t in the right state of mind when you came to me about that issue. You don’t deserve to be yelled at or dismissed, and my anger wasn’t your fault. That’s on me.” “I know I have a bad habit of not responding to emails. I want you to know that I’m not trying to ignore you on purpose. I care about your opinions and needs.” Why can’t I start with reassurance? We often want to lead with this part, but when we start with “I didn’t mean to” it can be re-traumatizing and dismissive. When we begin with, “It was an accident,” we’re prioritizing our feelings over the other person’s. We’re asking them to see our side of the story before fully listening and understanding their side. Reassurance can be invalidating if it comes before emotional validation. Step 5: Commit to change Next, it’s time to commit to change. We want to continue the apology by clarifying what will happen next time. We want to answer the question: In the future, what will be different? Using our previous examples from step four, this might look like: “In the future, I’m going to be more mindful of giving credit where it’s due. I sometimes have trouble speaking up in meetings, but this is important to me, and I’m going to make an effort to stop and say that I’m not the one to thank.” “I’m working on processing my anger in a healthy way so that you and your colleagues don’t suffer from it. Next time I want to yell, I’ll ask you to come back in 20 minutes instead so I can calm down. What do you think about that?” “I’m terrible at responding to emails. It doesn’t mean I haven’t read them. I just get caught up or distracted before I respond. What do you think about having a weekly or a daily meeting to touch base about everything you’ve emailed me?” Sometimes people might ask us for what they need, and if that ask is too much, you have the opportunity to set healthy boundaries. In this step, the conversation really surrounds the answers to two questions. What do we need? What do we have to offer one another? Step 6: Ask questions By this stage, the conversation around your apology is likely over. But, there may still be some unvoiced feelings or requests. That’s why it’s a good time to ask open-ended questions, like: “How do you feel?” “Is there anything else I can do or say to help resolve this?” “How can I support you today as we move through this conflict?” “Is there anything you feel like you need to say or hear from me before this conversation is over?” Step 7: Say thank you. Finally, the last stage of giving an apology is to acknowledge your gratitude for the time, space, and energy that someone has devoted to strengthening your relationship. This can look like: “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to apologize.” “I appreciate you being receptive to my apology.” “Thank you for communicating that this hurt you.” “I appreciate you being honest and vulnerable with me.” When we operate with a trauma-informed lens, we recognize how difficult these conversations can be and how much growth happens in them. Both people who participate in professional and emotionally intelligent conflict resolution deserve recognition for their emotional labor. Learn More Trauma-Informed Techniques Giving a proper apology that creates safety, strengthens relationships, and repairs conflict is a trauma-informed life skill that anyone can benefit from—and this is just one of many trauma-informed approaches you can use at work and in life. To learn more trauma-informed techniques, be sure to read the Art of Trauma-Informed, our Systems Transformation Blog, where we post new content weekly. Ask questions or share your thoughts in the comments below—or tune into Trauma-Informed Conversations, weekly hour-long community sessions dedicated to you. Trauma-Informed Conversations begin in October 2022, but you can register now . Would you prefer 1-on-1 times with a trauma-informed specialist? That’s available for you, too! Book a free consultation with Chefalo Consulting now.

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections In August, many of us prepared for or began the 22-23 school year as we balanced personal, professional, and cultural stressors. Whether you worked through loss, reflected on your past, began a new journey, or processed the collective trauma of military conflict and restricted abortion access, now is the time to recognize the growth you accomplished. Be proud of yourself and celebrate your wins. Looking Ahead As we move into September, exciting things are happening. Many of you have asked for more trauma-informed resources, and we are working hard to bring these free and affordable resources to you. In September, we will welcome new opportunities for growth, including one open and collaborative space for all our readers. Busy as a Trauma Response When we think about trauma responses, it's easy to recall the basics: fight, flight, freeze, and appease. While this offers us a great model, trauma responses are more complex than "run away" or "fight." Being busy can be a trauma response. If busy is your trauma response, you gravitate towards activities and tasks. If someone else is busy, you feel the urge to get up and help. Why? It's possible that idleness meant danger in your past. Being busy might help you feel safe. If you rarely give yourself time to settle down and think, you do yourself a disservice. You miss out on quality alone time. You might struggle to relax. Or, you may find yourself stuck in trauma brain or reenactments (unhealthy patterns) frequently. It's okay to slow down. It's okay to create a space where you have nothing to do. If being busy is your trauma response, you might hate this advice: but you would also benefit the most from it. Push yourself out of your comfort zone. Independence as a Trauma Response It's okay to ask for help Another common overlooked trauma response is hyper-independence. If you are a hyper-independent person, you may experience a strong resistance to help. You may believe that you don't or shouldn't need help or that needing help is a sign of weakness. No one would blame you for believing that: our cultural norms often teach us these beliefs. So many of us struggle to ask for help. It might come from a time we were let down in the past after asking. Or, we may have been in situations where there was no one we could ask for help. If we acknowledge that our resistance to help comes from a place of trauma, we can apply a new perspective to recurring situations. Next time you think about asking for help, notice if your immediate next thought is resistance. Then, consider it an opportunity to push back, disengage your trauma response, break a pattern, and choose healing over comfort. Reenactment Triangles The Drama Triangle Reenactments are patterns of social interactions that we tend to repeat. If you ever feel like you're stuck in conflict or conversation with no resolution in sight (and you often have the same interactions over and over again), then you're probably experiencing a reenactment. When we're inside reenactments, we generally tend to take one of three archetypes. We may move between them in the same reenactment pattern, or we may take on different roles with different people. Knowing whether you're the victim, rescuer, or persecutor can help you identify problematic mindsets that keep you stuck. Victims struggle with hopelessness, entitlement, and decision-making. Rescuers struggle with needing to save others to feel valuable, helping without being asked, and harboring resentment. Persecutors struggle with blame, black-and-white thinking, and a sense of superiority. Name It, Tame It To escape the reenactment triangle, one person must break the pattern. To break the cycle, you can "name it and tame it." With this method, you stop and say, "We are in a reenactment." You might even identify who's who. By calling it out, you control it. This helps us avoid getting wrapped up in reenactments. The Empowerment Triangle Knowing which role you play can help you move away from the drama triangle and into the empowerment triangle by identifying the role you wish to play. In an empowerment triangle, the rescuer becomes the supporter, the victim becomes the driver, and the persecutor becomes the coach. Drivers are empowered to affect change. Supporters set clear boundaries. Coaches encourage others to action. In this triangle, all parties communicate and create safety. Trauma-Informed Spotlight: Christy Turek Rials Art is a window of safety, and we strive to give this gift to as many folks as possible. Christy Turek Rials is the Training & Outreach Director at A Window Between Worlds , a trauma-informed nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering trauma survivors through transformative healing arts programs. Christy Rials is a model trauma-informed leader who embodies trauma-informed values through her work and offers insight to other leaders in this space. She recognizes the importance of both trauma-informed care and cultural relevance as essential components of the healing process. Although AWBW primarily serves survivors of domestic and sexual violence, anyone with traumatic experience and all trauma-informed leaders can benefit from their methods and practices. If you're looking for more trauma-informed resources, check out: Window's Facilitator Training The Survivor's Art Circle AWBA's Facilitator Blog Final Words Thank you for reading our Trauma-Informed Newsletter. We hope that you also thank yourself for spending the time and energy to hold space for healing, growth, and learning. You're doing great! Trauma-Informed Resources Your personal and professional development doesn't end with this newsletter. Here are some more trauma-informed resources for you to use or share with those who need them (they're all free!): Implementation Jumpstart Mini-Guide Trauma-Informed Leadership 101: Foundations for Wellness at Work You asked for more trauma-informed resources, and they're coming! Keep an eye out for our Organizational Action Plan Workbook, a step-by-step guide to help you create an organizational safety plan.

If you asked me what the single most important aspect of trauma-informed implementation is, I’d say it’s much more complex than that. But then I’d say safety at work . To be fair, there are a lot of moving parts when we aspire to create safety at work. It’s not an easy task to undertake. From encouraging employees to develop individual safety plans to creating a comprehensive organizational safety plan , truly establishing safety at work can take years to achieve. It’s a lot harder than following 8 simple tips . But the rewards are worthy of the journey. Here are a few things that happen when employees feel safe at work. 1 - They stop gossiping Gossip has a negative connotation to it, but when we boil it down, gossip is when we talk about other people who aren’t there. Usually, when people gossip, they say things they wouldn’t feel comfortable saying to the person who’s being talked about. Either, what they have to say is untrue. Or, what they have to say is true, but no one feels safe enough to say it. Let’s assume that the facts are facts and the feelings are valid. What happens when employees feel safe enough to share what could be considered “gossip” freely to those it impacts most? Gossip transforms into constructive feedback. Suddenly, when employees feel safe at work, they stop gossiping. They stop complaining about each other behind one another’s backs. Instead, they feel empowered to have an open, calm, and constructive discussion with clear goals. With safety, “gossip” builds relationships instead of tearing them down. 2 - They share feedback and insights Even if you’re not one to gossip, how often are you silent about the feedback you want to give? Why don’t you share? You might rationalize with yourself: “That’s not my lane,” “I’m no expert,” or “They won’t even consider it.” Or, you might be afraid: “I don’t know what will happen if I say that,” or “I know something bad will happen.” When we add safety to the mix, those thoughts transform into something new and empowering. Instead, you might think, “I could be wrong about this, but it’s an idea worth sharing,” or “I know they will value my opinion, even if they decide to take this project in a different direction.” When employees feel safe, they freely and kindly share insights and feedback that would otherwise go unnoticed. When we create a company culture of constructive feedback, we then see positive outcomes such as effective change, growth mindsets, nonjudgmental evaluations, and stronger relationships in the community. 3 - They communicate effectively Not wanting to tell someone something—whether it’s advice on how they could be more effective or something they do all the time that irritates you—is a common experience. Healthy communication is not a value that’s embedded into our overarching culture in America. But it is a trauma-informed value that we must strive to embody. When we create safety at work, we open safe spaces for honest and effective communication. Imagine if you could tell your coworker that a habit of theirs disrupts your workflow or that a method of communication you have in place just isn’t working. You could work towards a solution together, let go of any lingering resentment, and build a better working environment for everyone. With safety at work, every employee has the confidence that others will act appropriately with kindness, respect, and understanding. We assume the best of each other, and there is no fear of retaliation. 4 - They look forward to collaboration Have you ever dreaded working with certain people? Many of us prefer to work alone because collaborating with others can be difficult. When there’s poor communication, unspoken expectations, or unfair division of labor, it’s understandable why we would prefer to work solo. This aversion to collaboration usually comes from a place of trauma. We believe that other people are detrimental to our work. We think they are either dangerous or they slow us down. But, when we introduce safety to the mix, we can counteract these maladaptive beliefs. People are inherently social creatures. If you were asked to collaborate with your close friends, you might be more interested in the prospect of working together than when you’re asked to collaborate with your colleagues. But what if working with your team felt like working with your friends? When there’s safety at work, professional relationships can thrive like friendships. With safety comes effective and open communication. With proper communication comes collaboration. And when there’s a history of positive collaborative experiences, employees look forward to working with others. 5 - They are honest with peers and leadership The default professional culture does not value honesty as much as it does obedience. But, if we want to create safety at work and embody trauma-informed values, we have to unlearn old beliefs and replace them with new ones. When employees feel safe at work, they are empowered to say no toxic positivity. They will stop crossing their own boundaries—and others’ boundaries—and being agreeable when they don’t truly agree. How good would it feel to respond honestly about a colleague’s behavior that irritated you? Instead of saying, “it’s okay,” when it is not okay, safety allows us to be honest. When employees feel safe, they start being honest with each other and with leadership. 6 - They care about each other’s wellbeing When safety is a core value of an organization, every community member can assume that other community members have their best interests in mind. Although there will always be people who act selfishly, a sense of safety opens the door to community. In a safe community, individuals care about each other as individuals. They also care about the health of the group as a whole. When organizations establish safety at work, employees have the space to care for one another and the organization. 7 - They resolve conflict peacefully on their own Conflict avoidance is a common trauma response, and a big part of trauma-informed work includes healthy and safe conflict resolution. Conflict can feel dangerous (especially for employees who have experienced dangerous conflict in the past), but when we establish safety, the perceived danger of conflict at work decreases. When employees genuinely feel safe at work, they are empowered to resolve interpersonal conflict peacefully on their own without involving management. Divides in organizations are often worsened when one of two parties in conflict seeks out management before going to the other person. This behavior is the result of not feeling safe. When they do feel safe, another option appears: resolving the conflict on their own. 8 - They empower each other We’ve already dropped this word a lot, but it’s worth having its own point—empowerment. When employees feel safe at work, they become empowered. Employees not only feel empowered themselves—they also create an atmosphere of empowerment for others. Through coaching, collaborative learning, and encouragement, employees become trauma-informed resources themselves by empowering each other. Empowerment is a great mindset to have because it is also a major factor of resilience. 9 - They make decisions When employees feel safe and empowered, they are capable of making decisions with a clear head. Have you ever been in a situation where your organization was stuck? Maybe you’re stuck right now. Nothing gets done, employees struggle with decision paralysis, and you have the same conversations over and over again without coming to any conclusions. When we experience trauma brain, we cannot access our executive functioning skills, which include decision making and planning. Safety at work can help us avoid getting trapped in trauma brain, thus enabling us to make decisions. Decision-making can also be halted when employees feel like they don’t have the power to make decisions. Without fear of what might happen if they make the “wrong” decision, employees are free to make decisions and push the organization forward. Final Thoughts: The Benefits of Safety at Work If you understand trauma-informed work, then you know that the benefits of creating safety at work are nearly immeasurable—after all, how can you truly quantify the value of employee wellbeing and compare it to any other bottom line? These benefits of safety at work are some of the changes that you can experience in your organization. But it’s important to note that these changes often happen hand-in-hand with a greater sense of safety. Just as safety brings empowerment, conflict resolution, communication, and mutual trust, these aspects of the trauma-informed model create safety. For a one-of-a-kind virtual networking experience, be sure to tune into Intentional Conversations this Monday, October 10, at 12 pm CT, where we’ll explore your questions and discuss the content of this blog. Seats are free, but pre-registration is required. To learn more about how you can create safety at work, consider booking a free consultation .

Last week, we discussed how to recognize trauma states at work. The classic fight, flight, freeze, and appease trauma responses can reveal themselves in subtle ways, and other lesser-known trauma states can plague professional environments. Now that we know how to spot when someone is stuck in survival mode at work, it’s time to talk about how to help someone get out of that mindset. Today, we’ll explore the answer to the question: how can we respond to someone when they’re stuck in trauma brain? What is trauma brain or survival brain? Trauma brain is a mindset. You could also call it a state of mind or a headspace. It’s like a setting in our minds that our brains turn on in response to stress. This setting helps us ensure our survival. In the face of traumatic experiences, we behave in certain ways that will help us avoid harm. This survival mode can be extremely helpful—until it’s not. The problem with trauma brain is that our fight, flight, freeze, and appease coping mechanisms can become maladaptive. Our brain sees danger where there isn’t, and we get pushed into survival mode. When we’re in survival mode, we cannot access executive functioning skills. After all, these skills aren’t necessary for survival. But we do need them to succeed in our everyday lives. Executive functioning skills include planning and logic. We need them to think about the future, organize tasks, manage time, focus our attention, and remember important information. If we cannot access those skills because we are stuck in trauma brain, it becomes extremely difficult to accomplish the responsibilities we face in our personal and professional lives. This phenomenon is partially why learning about trauma-informed systems and fostering resilience is so essential to run successful organizations. How to approach someone in a trauma state Understanding how trauma brain works is a fairly simple task. The science is, for the most part, straightforward. But knowing how to behave when you notice you or someone else has flipped their survival switch on is a more difficult task. Someone in survival mode cannot think about the future or access their logical reasoning skills. They struggle to focus on the topic of conversation and easily forget what has been said. Everything you might want to say to them in that moment likely makes sense, but it won’t get through to them now. Your valid points and poignant questions must wait until this person can access their executive functioning brain. So, instead of trying to use logic to help someone get out of a trauma state, here’s what you can do. 1 - Establish safety The best thing you can do for someone experiencing a trauma state—whether it’s a coworker, a loved one, or yourself—is to establish safety . A sense of safety arises from our actions, attitudes, and words. If someone becomes combative or frozen, you can use safety phrases to help them let go of their survival response. “I’m not here to judge you. I’m here to help you.” “It’s okay. I’m not mad at you.” “You’re not going to be punished.” “You didn’t do anything wrong.” “We can take a break if you need to.” 2 - Maintain a calm tone of voice Sometimes what we say has less of an impact than how we say it. When using safety phrases, you can use a calm and sure tone of voice to convey your message clearly. Having a kind and compassionate expression on your face can also go a long way to convincing whoever is having a trauma response that you mean what you’re saying. If you appear angry, upset, or disappointed, the disconnect between your words and your body language could be confusing. 3 - Listen actively to gain insight Active listening is a powerful skill for any professional, and it can come in handy when you’re trying to help someone who’s struggling with trauma brain. Active listening can give you insight into what’s stressing this person out so that you can address it and establish safety. When someone is stuck in trauma brain, they feel unsafe. Figuring out what their brain tells them is unsafe can help you help them. However, that doesn’t mean that you should pry with invasive questions. Just listen . 4 - Let go of control and don’t push One of the most common reasons people feel unsafe is that their boundaries are not respected. Whether the issue arises from other people blatantly disrespecting their boundaries, a struggle to communicate boundaries well, or both, acknowledging boundaries can help create safety. In order to respect boundaries, we also need to let go of control. Accepting that we cannot force someone to behave or think a certain way enables us to respect their boundaries. Creating safety through boundary setting can look like this: “We don’t have to talk about it.” “I’m hearing that you don’t like it when I do this. Do you want me to stop?” "You don’t have to answer this question.” “We can pause this conversation.” When we see that someone is suffering, it’s common to desperately want them to change in ways that we know will alleviate their suffering. But we cannot make them change. We can only support them as they move through their trauma response and regain their executive functioning ability. 5 - Acknowledge what you do have the power to change Knowing what we do and do not have the power to change is an essential part of trauma-informed care. In this knowledge, we find acceptance and empowerment. We have the power to: establish safety lend support and offer help provide tools and resources But we do not have the power to make someone accept those resources or support. 6 - Resist engaging in reenactments We also have the power to break the reenactment triangle. When someone is in a trauma brain state, they often take on one of three key roles: the victim, the persecutor, or the rescuer. The victim is full of self-pity and helplessness. The persecutor is focused on blaming and attacking others. The rescuer forgets their own needs to save others. Knowing the roles that we take on with certain people can help us escape this dynamic, supporting our own wellbeing and the wellbeing of the people we engage with. By resisting reenactments, we can pull someone out of their survival brain and into executive functioning mode. 7 - Make requests that push their brain into executive functioning mode Finally, we can assign tasks to someone in survival mode to help them escape their trauma brain. Some coping skills are a great example of this, like the 5-4-3-2-1 method. This grounding technique asks you to name: 5 things you can see 4 things you can touch or feel 3 things you can hear 2 things you can smell 1 thing you can taste Brain Gym exercises can also help us escape trauma responses by activating our concentration, memory, and coordination centers, and we can use simplified versions of this exercise, such as crossing toes (try to cross your pinky toe over and under the toe next to it) or moving one hand up and down while the other moves left to right. Other executive functioning tasks include thinking about the future, so we can also ask planning questions, such as: “What do you want to accomplish today?” “How should we go about doing that?” “What steps do we need to take in order to…?” How to Approach Someone in a Trauma State When you recognize that trauma states are taking over, you can take these steps to help others get out of it: Establish safety Use kind words, tone of voice, and expressions Respect and acknowledge boundaries Practice radical acceptance and empowerment Break reenactments Use executive functioning tasks Trauma sensitivity is a lifelong journey Trauma-informed care is a practice that doesn’t happen overnight. Becoming a trauma-sensitive leader is a transformative process that will challenge and heal you in unexpected ways. If you want to learn more about trauma-informed practices in professional settings, be sure to explore our free resources .

Organizational restructuring is often on the table when companies decide they need transformational change. And when organizations take on the major change of trauma-informed implementation, many of them also decide to change their organizational layout. When we talk about organizational structures through a trauma-informed lens, we often focus on moving away from a hierarchal structure and toward a flat structure—but those are not our only two options. There are 5 other organizational structures that could serve you and your organization on your trauma-informed journey. Let’s explore all 7 types of organizational structures through a trauma-informed lens, so you can see all your options as a trauma-informed leader. 1 - Hierarchical In a hierarchical power structure, an all-powerful entity sits at the top of a pyramid structure, where every employee has a supervisor. This structure is the most common, but it presents several key issues: Clearly defined power imbalances can create toxic relationships where authority figures create unsafe spaces. Employees on all levels, but especially lower-level employees, may suffer from disempowerment, a lack of trust, or a feeling that they don’t have a voice or choice. Increased bureaucracy can slow down innovation and halt change, especially when employees feel as if they don’t have decision-making power. 2 - Functional A functional organizational structure is similar to a hierarchal structure in the sense that positions with more responsibility and pay exist at the top. However, instead of separating divisions and teams by “level,” an employee’s place in the structure is determined by their specific skillset. With a functional structure, employees can easily dive into their strengths and find common interests with those they work with. Teams can flourish in their specialization. While the functional organizational structure is an improvement from the hierarchal model, there are still issues with this type of structuring: Functional structures can easily create silos within an organization. Interdepartmental communication often suffers. Poor communication and silos can halt change, prevent innovation, and create ruptures within organizational cultures and systems. Heightening specialization and a lack of diversity can create blinders and echo chambers. 3 - Divisional Divisional structures have many similarities to hierarchal and functional organizational structures. There is one leader at the very top. Underneath them, there are leaders of each division. The divisions can be separated by industry, region, or customer type. A divisional organizational structure’s key benefit is that each division can operate independently from the others. By separating one large organization into a group of mini-organizations, each division retains decision-making power about who they will hire and how they will manage the different facets of running their division, regardless of the other division leaders’ preferences. In a divisional organizational structure, other structures can be tested. For example, one division may pilot trauma-informed organizational change and work toward establishing a flat structure within its division. Upon its success, other divisions can adopt the same model. With a divisional organization structure, we still face similar potential problems, such as silos or poor communication practices between different regions or departments. 4 - Matrix So far, most of these examples of organizational structures simply look like different flavors of the hierarchical model. The matrix organizational structure is much different than the rest because it involves a lot of flexibility across the entire organization. A matrix organizational chart is more like a grid than a pyramid. In a matrix, employees may have multiple supervisors who possess distinct roles with the same level of power within the organization. Using a matrix system can help prevent communication issues—but communication issues can also be the downfall of a matrix system. Employees with multiple supervisors who fail to communicate may suffer the consequences of confusion, conflict, or a lack of support. Generally, a matrix organizational system is more collaborative and team-oriented. Employees and leaders tend to be more flexible, and groups within the matrix often possess diverse skill sets. 5 – Team-based Team-based organizational structures similarly disrupt the traditional hierarchal model. They position team members laterally, meaning there is no clear power structure. By grouping an organization into teams, employees gain more control over their projects in an atmosphere where cooperation, collaboration, and collective learning are the norm. A team-based organizational structure leaves plenty of room for an organization to implement trauma-informed values , including establishing safety at work, which is paramount to the trauma-informed process. Team-based organizational structures tend to foster trauma-informed practices and norms naturally. For example: Experience and skills are more valuable than seniority. Team mentality reduces silos and increases communication and transparency. Teams require minimal management, as team members are self-sufficient and interested in contributing to group success. Team-based structure pushes back against the hierarchal model and helps employees foster healthy professional relationships without unhealthy power dynamics at play. 6 - Network A network structure is like a team-based structure in the sense that hierarchy is not central to the model. With a network model, the internal structure of the organization is focused on open communication and healthy professional relationships. Individuals and teams may work together consistently or periodically as needed, and there is no clear route up the chain of command. In the network, there may be onsite and offsite relationships, as well as vendors, freelancers, and staff. A network organizational structure is a complex structure that sees each individual as an important part of the organization. It poses similar benefits to the team-based structure, such as: Seniority and unhealthy power dynamics are less likely to be an issue since there is no clear chain of command. Healthy professional relationships are at the core of a network model, which encourages many trauma-informed values, including communication, safety, transparency, and collaboration. Staff members are often empowered to make decisions and take initiative. 7 - Flat A flat organizational structure is decentralized, meaning all employees have equal power throughout the organization. There may be different roles within the organization, but ultimately everyone’s voice is respected and heard equally or equitably. In some “flatarchies,” executives might have slightly more power, but a flat or horizontal power structure emphasizes that each employee has the power to make decisions and work in their own way to complete project tasks. In a flat power system, trauma-informed values can thrive. Some of the benefits include: Employees have greater independence and more personal responsibility. Communication and professional interactions are often healthier and provide more clarity. It is faster and easier to implement new practices and ideas in a flat structure versus a hierarchical structure. Final Thoughts: Choosing an organizational structure that supports the trauma-informed framework While we often encourage organizations to strive for a flat organizational structure, networks, matrixes, and team-based structures also present opportunities to embed the trauma-informed framework into how your organization is run—and these other options may work better for you. It is also possible to combine certain aspects from each of these organizational structures to create a structure that is unique to your organization. No matter which structure you choose, it’s important to remember that having a dictator at the top who is all-powerful doesn’t promote trauma-informed practices. If you want to prioritize autonomy, create safety at work, empower employees to make decisions, encourage healthy communication, and increase employee wellbeing, then shifting to an alternative structure rather than sticking with the traditional hierarchical model can serve you and your organization.

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections As October ends and Halloween marks the transition into November, we may be quick to plan for the holidays. However, I urge you to set aside time to reflect on your wins this month. What did you learn? How did you grow? Did you rest or discover a new coping skill? Celebrating your wins, no matter how small they may seem, is a step on your trauma-informed journey toward wellness. Looking Ahead For many, the holiday season symbolizes joy and family. And for many others, the holiday season brings different feelings, such as anxiety, grief, fear, and loneliness. As we move through this season, remember to be considerate to others who may not have fond memories of the holidays. This month, try to operate with universal precaution and be sensitive to those who may be suffering. What Does Universal Precaution Mean? In the context of trauma-informed care, universal precaution refers to a mindset that fuels your behavior. With universal precaution, we act as if everyone has trauma. You can't know what someone else's trauma is, and you also can't expect anyone to disclose their trauma to you--they don't owe you that. When we operate with universal precaution, we are more gentle, more kind, more compassionate, and more understanding. We approach situations differently because we look at them differently. Instead of jumping to accusations in difficult times, we stop to ask, "What happened to this person that they feel the need to act this way?" "Bad behavior" is rooted in fear or anxiety, and when we use universal precaution to inform all of our experiences with everyone we meet, we begin to see how deeply trauma affects us. Universal precaution enables us to continue our mission to live a trauma-informed and trauma-aware life. Acknowledging Holiday Trauma & Seasonal Depression You don't have to fake joy to placate other people. The holiday season can be stressful for many reasons. Whether money is tight during the season of spending, pressure at work has you working late nights, or the anxiety of traveling is creating stress in your life, it's okay not to feel happy and joyful this holiday season. Many of us feel as though we need to fake happiness and feed into a culture of toxic positivity, especially during the holidays, which most see as a time for celebration. Well, it is possible to be both grateful and full of sorrow during the holidays, especially if you have holiday trauma. Show up for yourself, and be honest about you feel this month. Take it easy on yourself and others, and recognize that it's normal to struggle during the holidays. Seasonal depression and holiday trauma are real, and it's common for the holidays themselves to become annual traumatic experiences. Trauma-Informed Spotlight: Dr. Amelia Franck Meyer Families are the solution, not the problem. Dr. Amelia Franck Meyer is the Founder and CEO of the national non-profit, Alia Innovations. Alia is dedicated to keeping children safe without removing them from their homes. No matter how you look at it, the foster care system traumatizes children. Team Alia and Dr. Amelia Meyer actively work to prevent that traumatization by re-imagining the child welfare system. Alia believes that the best way to support children is to support families: and this mission aligns deeply with trauma-informed values. Dr. Meyer is a trauma-informed leader who is transforming the child welfare system. Learn more about Dr. Meyer, Alia Innovations, and their amazing work in the child welfare space here . Final Words Thank you for reading our Trauma-Informed Newsletter and taking the time and energy to hold space for healing, growth, and learning. You're doing a great job on your trauma-informed journey. Trauma-Informed Resources Your personal and professional development doesn't end with this newsletter. Here are some more trauma-informed resources for you to use or share with those who need them (they're all free!): 2026 Implementation Field Guide Trauma-Informed Leadership 101: Foundations for Wellness at Work

In the trauma-informed care space, we often reference trauma-informed values. While we can refer to values within the TIC space broadly, there are specific models that we teach our clients, including SAMSHA’s 6 Guiding Principles and the Sanctuary 7 Commitments. The values outlined in these guides provide structure for organizations new to trauma-informed care, and they’re an essential piece of the work for any trauma-informed leader. So, we’re going to explore these values in-depth today. SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles SAMHSA is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. It is a branch of the US Department of Health and Human Services, and, as a governmental agency, it outlines many of the standards within the TIC space. Although I would not say that SAMHSA’s value set is perfect (I take some issues with the language it uses), I would recommend it as a great resource for any trauma-informed leader. SAMHSA’s 6 Guiding Principles are: 1. Safety 2. Trustworthiness 3. Peer Support 4. Collaboration 5. Empowerment 6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues Safety Establishing safety is perhaps the most important aspect of trauma sensitivity. Trauma survivors enter fight, flight, or freeze mode when they feel unsafe, and this “trauma brain” state impacts our ability to think or behave as we normally would. So, creating and ensuring safety for all community members is always a priority in trauma-informed systems. Trustworthiness I would argue that trustworthiness is a part of safety. When we have trust, we have safety in our relationships. Building trust involves being honest about your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Trustworthiness is built when you are reliable, you do the things you say you will do, and your behavior is predictable. Trustworthiness is an essential component of healthy relationships. Peer Support Peer support refers to relationships built between peers where no power imbalance exists. Support from a mentor, coach, or manager is also encouraged in the trauma-informed model, but peer support helps build meaningful relationships. Collaboration Collaboration is the act of working together to create something. People might collaborate on a project at work, and they may collaborate by committing to improving their relationship. When we collaborate, we share the experience of building something new, the challenges that come with it, and the pride in seeing it through. Empowerment Empowerment refers to the idea that we have the power to effect change. When someone is empowered, they can clearly see what they do and don’t have the power to change. We cannot change others, but we can change our attitudes, thoughts, habits, and behaviors. We can affect change by being role models, coaches, and guides—and we are not powerless. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Issues By “cultural, historical, and gender issues,” SAMHSA means that we must acknowledge and celebrate our diversity, as well as the history of trauma behind it. Being different from the established norms can be a traumatic experience in our society, because others are not always welcoming, understanding, or kind. Many cultures have seen atrocities in their histories, and we must acknowledge that trauma. Trauma-informed care involves avoiding further harm as well as healing from our trauma, both individually and collectively. The Sanctuary 7 Commitments The Sanctuary model was developed by Dr. Sandra Bloom in the 1980s. Her extended body of work forms much of the foundation of trauma-informed care. While most organizations working in the trauma-informed care space will adopt SAMHSA’s trauma-informed values, the Sanctuary 7 Commitments are the second-most popular model. The Sanctuary 7 Commitments are: 1. Nonviolence 2. Emotional Intelligence 3. Social Learning 4. Open Communication 5. Social Responsibility 6. Democracy 7. Growth and Change Nonviolence Nonviolence extends beyond the idea of “not being violent.” Nonviolence refers to not harming others, whether intentionally or unintentionally. When we commit to nonviolence, we commit to working through conflict while ensuring safety and encouraging communication. Emotional Intelligence Emotionally intelligent people are in touch with their emotions, and they are capable of processing and managing them in a healthy way. When others are around them, it is easy to feel safe, encouraged, capable, and supported. Rarely are we taught emotional intelligence, whether formally or informally. So, in a trauma-informed space, we are intentional about normalizing emotions and teaching emotional intelligence. Social Learning When we think of learning, our mind may turn to formal settings: classrooms or college courses. However, if you are a trauma-informed leader, you are likely a lifelong learner, and much of your learning experience is not formal. Social learning happens when we learn through our community. For social learning to happen, we must be humble and curious active listeners. Open Communication Open and effective communication is essential for healthy relationships and, consequently, healthy teams and organizations. Open communication involves seeking clarity and asking questions rather than making assumptions. Open communication involves discussing the elephants in the room and having hard conversations in a kind way that harms no one and is beneficial to everyone in the long run. Social Responsibility Social responsibility acknowledges that we are either part of the problem or part of the solution. If we are bystanders to unethical behavior, we are part of the problem. When we are socially responsible, we step up and recognize that we are responsible for the existing group norms. Through social responsibility, we can truly work towards healing and social justice. Democracy In the Sanctuary model, democracy refers to the importance of listening to everyone’s voice, especially those who will be most impacted by a decision. Democracy is about voice and choice, empowerment, and ensuring people are heard. Growth & Change Finally, growth and change are inherent parts of the trauma-informed model. When we value growth and change, we acknowledge that where we are right now is not perfect. There are all ways that we can grow as individuals. If we believe that we have no more growing to do or that we cannot change, then we cannot truly commit ourselves to trauma-informed work. Modifying existing models to fit your organization While most organizations will adopt one of these two standard models for trauma-informed values, it is possible to adapt these values to reflect your organization's specific needs and mission. However, it’s important to remember that not all values can be trauma-informed. For example, if an organization is willing to prioritize its bottom line of making a profit over the lives of the people it employs and impacts, its existing mission will never align with trauma-informed values. In order to implement trauma-informed practices in an organization like this, major reform surrounding the organization’s mission and identity must take place. Final Thoughts: Learn more during Intentional Conversations On paper, these trauma-informed values look and sound great. However, they can feel much harder to adopt when you’re doing the work in real-time. If you have questions about trauma-informed values, a problem that you’re working through, reach out to us to discuss how we can help.

“ Neuroscience research shows that the only way we can change the way we feel is by becoming aware of our inner experience and learning to befriend what is going on inside ourselves.” - Bessel Van Der Kolk Trauma-informed care is impossible without self-awareness. Anyone who practices TIC needs self-awareness, and most of us would benefit from greater self-awareness. In this complete guide to self-awareness, we’ll explore why self-awareness is core to the trauma-informed model and how to cultivate self-awareness with simple everyday practices. Why self-awareness is central to the trauma-informed model Trauma-informed care is made possible by self-awareness. Here’s why. When we lack self-awareness, we often end up making matters worse, even when our original goal was to help whoever was experiencing a trauma response. Why is that? Without self-awareness, we tend to become triggered in response to other people’s trauma responses. Our heightened state then adds to their dysregulation. When we are dysregulated, a lack of self-awareness is common. We tend to be unconscious and unintentional with our actions and words. You might relate to this yourself, or you might consider moments where you saw someone else having a trauma response. At that moment, they were completely unaware of what they were saying and doing. They didn’t know what they needed to calm down or if they were calming down at all. However, with self-awareness, we become available to assist others in need—and help ourselves in the process. Self-awareness helps us remain calm in intense moments. It enables us to regulate ourselves and those around us. With self-awareness, we make better decisions and access a deeper understanding of what is happening within and around us. Trauma cuts our tie to self-awareness If you follow our trauma-informed blog, then you’re familiar with the concept of trauma brain and executive functioning. These two mental states cannot exist at the same time. When we are having a trauma response, we cannot access our executive functioning skills. We cannot think logically or make plans for the future. Our thinking is disorganized. We are not self-aware. Emily Read Daniels clearly describes this concept in her article on Stephen Porges’ Polyvagal Theory . She states: “People often fail to recognize that there is no reasoning, no rational cognitive process occurring in a state of heightened arousal. That comes after someone has regained composure, settled, or calmed down. This simple understanding is at the crux of being trauma-informed.” In this article, she also emphasizes the importance of self-awareness in TIC: “The work of being trauma-informed and trauma-responsive is complex. But there is a single great way to begin that is fairly simple – increasing self-awareness.” So, if you’re interested in beginning your trauma-informed journey and don’t know where to start, begin increasing your self-awareness. Considering balance when cultivating self-awareness Self-awareness isn’t black and white. It’s not the type of trait you either have or you don’t. It’s a skill that you grow with time. You can be self-aware of many things, including: your strengths and weaknesses when you succeed or fail your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors your most common cognitive distortions how each of these things interact and relate to one another You can be very self-aware in one area and unaware in another. For example, consider someone who struggles with mental filtering, a cognitive distortion that causes us to see only the negatives and discount the positives. This person might be extremely aware of their weaknesses and failures but unaware of their strengths, successes, or thought patterns. The result is a mindset that can fuel depressive episodes and rumination. So, when cultivating self-awareness, it’s important that you aim to create balance and focus on being nonjudgmental. Self-awareness that comes from a place of non-judgment allows you to make informed choices without the burden of guilt or shame. It helps us access a clear vision of our reality without denial, and it can be extremely empowering. The relationship between self-awareness and resilience In trauma-informed care, the journey is complex, and the concepts are interrelated in countless ways. So, when we discuss self-awareness, it should come as no surprise that we touch on resilience. A few major factors of resilience include accepting what we do not have control of and acknowledging what we do have the power to change. Having a clear grasp of where our power ends and begins is made possible through self-awareness. The sentiment of “I can’t change how other people behave, but I can change how I respond to them” embodies self-awareness. So, self-awareness is also an important component of radical acceptance and empowerment, which build resilience and help us heal. 9 Practices to Cultivate Self-Awareness It’s common for people to say, “I’m self-aware,” and move on. But I urge you to change your perspective. Instead of deciding whether you are or are not self-aware, ask yourself, “Can I become more self-aware?” The answer is almost always a resounding yes. So, here are a few trauma-informed practices that you can consider trying to increase self-awareness. 1 - Disconnect from digital distractions like social media and television Scrolling on social media, staying up to date with current news reports, and binging our favorite TV shows are common collective experiences. These commonplace activities can fill in all our spare time—especially when our phones are always in our pockets. Keeping your mind constantly buzzing with new information prevents you from being self-aware. So, consider dedicating some time away from screens every day to unwind and reflect. 2 - Set aside dedicated time to connect with yourself Being away from screens is a great time for us to connect with our inner selves. Connecting to yourself can look different for everyone. For some, it might mean putting on music and dancing around. For others, it could look like enjoying a hot tea over a good book. For others, both of those self-care activities could be draining rather than energizing. Discovering what types of activities are most rejuvenating and restful for you is a part of your self-awareness journey. It’s important to be curious and notice how you feel. Just because a solution works for other people doesn’t mean it will work for you—but it’s worth trying! 3 - Embrace solitude and silence When we experience trauma, we may be resistant to self-awareness. After all, if you take time to think about how you feel, you might realize that you don’t feel great. However, it’s important to feel those feelings and process them, even if it’s a painful experience. Whether you avoid reflecting on your negative emotions or not, it’s important to embrace silence and solitude, especially in a society where the expectation of being “on” all the time is the norm. Solitude and silence allow us to slow down, self-reflect, and cultivate self-awareness. 4 - Try guided meditation sessions There are tons of great resources out there to help you meditate. From soothing sounds and soundscapes on YouTube to calming sleep stories on Spotify to guided meditations on the Calm App , there are lots of options for you to try as you discover what types of meditation work best for you. If you struggle with meditation, the best advice I can give you is to let go of rigid expectations for what meditation looks like. Stay open and curious, try different resources, and focus on learning. That’s how you will access the benefits of meditation. 5 - Practice mindfulness through intentional living Meditation and mindfulness go hand in hand, and meditation is only one type of mindfulness practice. You can also practice mindful walking, mindful eating, mindful exercise, mindful arts and crafts, mindful breathing, and the list goes on. Intentional living refers to intentionally making decisions instead of functioning on “auto-pilot.” When we mindfully go about life, we live intentionally. 6 - Start a journal that focuses on your inner state, thoughts, and feelings Journaling is a great practice for self-awareness because we can write down what we think and feel and then go back and read it later. This practice can help us gain a lot of insight. Even if you already journal, consider journaling with the intention of cultivating self-awareness. When journaling, you can try to ask and answer powerful questions, like: Why do I think, behave, or feel that way? What can I do differently to produce the outcomes I desire? What do/don’t I have the power to change? 7 - Commit to becoming a better listener One thing most people struggle with is active listening, and it makes sense. It can be challenging to focus when someone else is talking and our minds are racing with thoughts. But active listening is a skill that benefits everyone involved. Listening is a great place to practice nonjudgment. It can sometimes be easier to practice nonjudgement when thinking of others than when thinking of ourselves. 8 - Ask for outside opinions The image we have of ourselves is usually different than the image others have of us. Although others can get it wrong, the people close to you tend to have great insight into your thinking and behavior. Consider asking someone you trust and feel comfortable being vulnerable with what their opinions are about you. This is a great way to open up and reflect on yourself. 9 - Take a course and access a community Personal development courses are a great place to intentionally work on growing your self-awareness and emotional intelligence. In the courses I offer, each group provides a unique and confidential community that supports one another in their journey. So, if you’re serious about cultivating your self-awareness, a personal development course can be a great tool. Cultivate greater self-awareness with free trauma-informed resources from Chefalo Consulting If you want to improve your well-being and the well-being of those around you, then investing your energy into cultivating greater self-awareness is a great step to take in your trauma-informed journey. The good news is that you don’t have to do it all on your own. There are plenty of free and affordable trauma-informed resources out there for you, including some from us. Access these free trauma-informed resources today: 2026 Implementation Field Guide Trauma-Informed Leadership 101: Foundations for Wellness at Work

Trauma-informed care is like an umbrella that encompasses the social determinants of health, social-emotional learning, and actionable solutions to create real change. I think a lot of people don’t understand this yet. Understandably, when people hear “trauma-informed,” they’re confused. If you’re not already informed about the impacts of and solutions to widespread trauma in our society, it’s hard to imagine what type of information relates to trauma. So, let me frame it with language that you might be more familiar with: the social determinants of health and social-emotional learning. What are the social determinants of health (SDOH)? In circles that discuss trauma-informed care and the social determinants of health, I’ve noticed that a lot of people are confused as to how these two models intersect. A startling number of people assume that these models are completely distinct and share no common ground. The opposite is true. The social determinants of health (SDOH), social-emotional learning (SEL), and trauma-informed care (TIC) are all research-based models intended to improve outcomes for people, particularly disadvantaged individuals. To give you a better idea of why the SDOH are important, consider this heartbreaking but insightful perspective from Laura Gottlieb: “I had diagnosed ‘abdominal pain’ when the real problem was hunger […] I mislabeled the hopelessness of long-term unemployment as depression and the poverty that causes patients to miss pills or appointments as noncompliance. In one older patient, I mistook the inability to read for dementia. My medical training had not prepared me for this ambush of social circumstance. Real-life obstacles had an enormous impact on my patient's lives, but because I had neither the skills nor the resources for treating them, I ignored the social context of disease altogether.” -Laura Gottlieb, The San Francisco Chronicle Trauma-informed care provides the skills, resources, and training that professionals like Gottlieb need. And while TIC is often discussed in the public health sector, it is applicable to almost every other industry, too. The US Department of Health and Human Services identifies five key domains within the social determinants of health: 1. Economic Stability 2. Education Access and Quality 3. Health Care Access and Quality 4. Neighborhood and Built Environment 5. Social and Community Context The basic concept surrounding social determinants of health says that if you lack access and opportunity to certain things that significantly affect your quality of life (such as money, food, housing, healthcare, education, safety, family, etc.), your health will suffer. The trauma-informed model agrees, but the language we use is a bit different. We refer to this lack of access and other negative experiences collectively as trauma. What are adverse childhood experiences (ACE)? ACEs are one key concept within the trauma-informed model, and there’s a lot of research to back up what we know about ACEs. And there’s more coming: the CDC is currently conducting the largest ACE study in history in partnership with Kaiser Permanente. Some examples of ACEs include: Poverty, Homelessness, and Poor Housing Quality Lack of Opportunity, Economic Mobility, and Social Capital Experiencing or Witnessing Violence Mental Illness and Substance Abuse Physical & Emotional Neglect or Abuse Discrimination Incarceration Natural Disaster If you want to calculate your ACE score and learn more about what we know about ACEs, check out this article that addresses why ACEs are a major public health concern . Using the SDOH lens, we can see how these factors impact a person’s outcomes in life. The TIC model specifically names these as ACEs and/or trauma (what is traumatic for one person may not be traumatic for another—but this is a conversation for another day). The challenges named within the key domains of the SDOH (economic stability, access to quality education and health care, neighborhood and built environment, and social/community context) become adverse childhood experiences when they are experienced in the early stages of life. What is social-emotional learning (SEL)? The Collaborative for Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) defines social-emotional learning as “an integral part of education and human development.” SEL helps us: develop healthy identities make responsible and caring decisions manage our emotions feel and show empathy for others set and achieve personal & collective goals establish and maintain supportive relationships Basically, social-emotional learning encompasses all the processes, skills, and techniques that we need to learn to achieve psychological or mental well-being. It relates to our ability to socialize, access our feelings, behave appropriately, and empower ourselves. CASEL identifies five social and emotional learning core competencies 1. Self-Awareness 2. Self-Management 3. Social Awareness 4. Relationship Skills 5. Responsible Decision Making Next week, we’ll get into the details of emotional intelligence (EI) and why EI is essential for trauma-informed leaders. For now, you should know that trauma-informed care also teaches social-emotional skills, such as healthy communication, mindfulness, emotional regulation, and relationship-building, through a lens that acknowledges why trauma can create obstacles for us when learning and practicing these skills. How do SDOH, SEL, and ACE relate to trauma-informed care? These models have laid the groundwork for TIC. We all agree on the facts. The key difference is perspective. Where others may see someone who struggles with SEL and say, “They need to do better. Why are they so difficult?”, the trauma-informed model sees someone who struggles and asks, “What has made this hard for them? Where can I see strengths?” Trauma-informed care takes the SDOH and SEL a step further by applying paradigmatic shifts that push us to move from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?” Then, we take it further to ask, “What’s strong in you?” The value of trauma-informed care The trauma-informed model can help anyone, anywhere, but it’s especially pertinent to social service providers. Whether you work in healthcare, education, or the court system, your ultimate goal is to assist people in need, and these people are often high-risk individuals with a history of trauma. The trauma-informed model ensures that you don’t do more harm while trying to do good, which is why it is so essential. If you work in any other sector, the trauma-informed model still has countless benefits, such as improved communication & collaboration, stronger teams, and a healthy workplace culture. All these cultural changes translate into measurable improvements, too, such as lower healthcare costs, reduced stress, and decreased turnover. There are a lot of moving parts when it comes to the TIC model. If you want to learn more about how the trauma-informed framework can help you or your organization, you can book a free consultation .