In April 2018, the Center for Health Care Strategies in New York City hosted an Advancing Trauma-Informed Care meeting.
Sonoma County submitted a challenge for the group to discuss:
Challenge: "I think one issue we are having is finding where to start. If this is not a step by step process, but a culture shift, where do you begin? Some groups are starting with an agency assessment. Some are starting with ACEs trainings. Some are looking at the SAMSHA guides. Others are desperately trying to hire Robert Macy or Sanctuary to be their lamplighters."
Group Responses:
- “Don’t sacrifice good for great.” Just get moving! There’s no seriously wrong way to do it.
- Try rapid cycle innovation…and don’t be overly committed to your first attempt.
- Identify your desired outcomes. Then connect strategies and activities to those goals.
- Avoid burnout by promoting an internal culture of wellness and resiliency.
- Have someone like Sandy Bloom do a short pitch with leadership (this would be in the “expert’s” best interest too because it could lead to paid consultancy). [This is your lamplighter approach.]
- Show Resilience or something similar to identify local champions.
- View TIC as a development model (like Missouri Model). Think of a train metaphor—what car do you want to get on? E.g., you can start by addressing staff burnout (so you’d get on the staff wellness and resiliency “car”)—you add other cars along the way. What station are you at (think stages of Missouri Model)? [This train metaphor is from Montefiore Medical Group. It’s very compelling when they talk about it, but I have not done it justice here!]
- Develop leadership/capacity in the community. Too often, there’s a lack of centering of community voice. Ask yourself the question, “How do we take on the responsibility of developing community?”
- Be able to define the work (not the theoretical underpinnings). Use stories to make it concrete.
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