Becoming a trauma informed and responsive workplace.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare reports that 57-75% of Australians will experience a traumatic event in their lifetime, and 62-68% of young people have experienced at least one event by age 17. This would suggest that not only many young people are impacted by trauma but also many adults. Within any given workgroup, approximately 15% of workers will exhibit symptom clusters of sufficient severity and duration to meet criteria for a diagnosis of acute stress disorder (ASD) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)1.

A trauma-informed approach recognises and understands trauma can negatively affect families, groups, organisations and communities, as well as individuals. Trauma impacts every aspect of a person’s effectiveness in the workplace. Traumatised workers are compromised in their ability to learn, think, manage change, and relate to others. They are more likely to have mental and physical health problems, including depression and substance abuse, two of the costliest health problems in the workplace today2.

A trauma-informed organisation is one that operates with an understanding of trauma and its negative effects on the organisation’s employees and the communities it serves and works to mitigate those effects. A trauma informed organisation understands that how staff are managed and organisational goals are achieved is contingent on having a trauma informed approach, as many of its employees and the people it serves have histories of trauma that continue to play a role in their lives.3

It would make sense for Australian workplaces to become a trauma-informed and responsive to protect the wellbeing of their staff and clients, and through this support their organisational goals and outcomes.

This workshop builds a shared understanding amongst staff of the key features of trauma and how they impact at an organisational level. A key focus will be what workplaces can do to minimize rather than amplify the trauma impacts for its staff and clients. The workshop will cover:

1. Key concepts regarding the phenomenon of trauma including how trauma impacts on people’s wellbeing.

2. Organisational processes that help workplaces to minimize the impact of trauma on staff and clients.

3. Practices that help to safeguard staff wellbeing with a focus on emotional fatigue and secondary trauma.

This training will be adapted to each workplace context in consultation with the organisation’s leadership. To access or discuss this training please contact Dave (Mob: 0433 621 218), Louise (Mob: 0417 262 028) or via email below.