Traumatic experiences during childhood and adolescent development can have a distinct shaping influence on the rest of one’s life. Not every bump and bruise will have an impact, and many events will be completely forgotten. However, overwhelming or threatening experiences may yield a traumatic impact and weave themselves into the ongoing development of a person’s body and mind. There are three main developmental patterns that are particularly shaped by the legacy of developmental trauma: attachment, self-regulation, and self-perspective. Attachment patterns affect how a person reaches for and ..read more

These are the personal reflections of Noela Crowe-Salazar and Vicki Enns, intended to help one another tap into resiliency by walking toward reconciliation and healing together. Click below to listen to Noela and Vicki. [Noela] I am a citizen of Cowessess First Nation in Treaty Four territory. I am a Sixties Scoop survivor, and my father attended Lebret Residential School in Saskatchewan starting in the late 1930s. [Vicki] I am a woman with white skin and a descendant of prairie settler farmers from Saskatchewan, in Treaty Six territory. I am a treaty land citizen, currently residing in Treat ..read more

When someone experiences a loss, it demands their attention. It is all they can see, hear, and feel. That is why counsellors and helpers need to support others with self-compassion and explore “What has been lost?” “What has changed?” and “What remains?” Helping others reflect on these questions is an important part of learning to sit with grief. Throughout the pandemic, the idea of loss has dominated our conversations. The heaviness of its impacts have been felt globally. And, understandably so, it has been hard. I recently experienced a welcome shift in perspective through a social media pos ..read more

One of the primary goals of trauma counselling is to slow down and notice the difference between emotions, bodily sensations, and thoughts. When heart rate increases (physique) out of fear (emotion), then the thought “I am not safe” (cognition) emerges. This leads to a brain-body-mind connection that is overwhelming and that can push a person outside of their window of tolerance. In the trauma healing process, we must help our clients to slow down and notice these distinctions. This has the dual purpose of normalizing the experience of responding to trauma and of teaching our clients how to ca ..read more

In 2009, I began working on something I call the colonial box theory (colonial box for short). It was a physical manifestation of my thinking, reflections, and observations first sparked by the knowledge and wisdom of two First Nations individuals: Harold Tookenay (Anishinaabe from Long Lac First Nation, Ontario) and Angie Louie (Crow from Crow Agency, Montana). Harold wowed me with his 4 Walls of Oppression and Angie, with her Grief and Trauma Awareness Wheel. Their ideas around colonialism, oppression, grief, and trauma were grassroots thinking. The inspiration that led to the colonial box t ..read more

We are surrounded by judgement. I think in many ways we actually enjoy it. I feel this personally, like a defense mechanism that kicks in to build myself up at the expense of another. And it’s everywhere! It’s in the shows we watch, political discourse, social media, and unfortunately it even sneaks into our interactions with colleagues and those we love. Amazingly, it’s often blatant and unashamed. Think about phrases you regularly hear (and possibly utter): “What is wrong with you? “That person has no sense!” “They’re clued out.” Unfortunately, without intentionality it can be easy to slip i ..read more

The following information comes from A Little Book about Trauma-Informed Workplaces, written by myself, Randy Grieser, and Vicki Enns. Trauma is prevalent in our world and its effects can ripple out, shaping our interactions and relationships at home and at work. It even affects whole organizations by impacting the ways in which we do our work, serve our clients, and achieve our missions.   A trauma-informed workplace focuses on five principles: Promote Awareness Shift Attitudes Foster Safety Provide Choice Highlight Strengths Promote Awareness In trauma-informed organizations, leaders ..read more

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, writing, and speaking about Trauma-informed care lately. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart. In fact, Vicki Enns, Randy Grieser, and I have just finished a new book called A Little Book About Trauma-Informed Workplaces. We hope it will serve as a guide to those wanting to make their workplace more trauma-informed. As I consider what a trauma-informed workplace looks like, I reflect on the diverse jobs I’ve had in social work, government, and outdoor physical labour. Like most of us, I’ve worked in healthy environments, while others were so highly stressfu ..read more

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking, writing, and speaking about Trauma-informed care lately. It’s a topic near and dear to my heart. In fact, Vicki Enns, Randy Grieser, and I have just finished a new book called A Little Book About Trauma-Informed Workplaces. We hope it will serve as a guide to those wanting to make their workplace more trauma-informed. As I consider what a trauma-informed workplace looks like, I reflect on the diverse jobs I’ve had in social work, government, and outdoor physical labour. Like most of us, I’ve worked in healthy environments, while others were so highly stressfu ..read more

Author’s Note: I am Canadian, originally from Winnipeg, and I lived in Toronto for 15 years as an adult. I’ve been living in Chicago since 2011 and I work in the areas of conflict resolution, restorative justice, and diversity and inclusion. I see myself as an ally, and I write this from the perspective of a cisgender person of colour who grew up in a multiracial family with Indo-Caribbean and German Mennonite roots. I‘m fair-skinned – and I mention this only to acknowledge the unfortunate reality that my skin colour sometimes gives me access to benefits and privileges a person with a darker c ..read more