Hi all - is anyone aware of info/resources/suggested approaches/specific considerations for ending/closing out client relationships (at end of programming/services) in a trauma-informed way? Thanks in advance!
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I am weighing in just as a fellow seeker to the answer to this question. How do we end a programme without re-traumatizing the participants with whom we have built trust and rapport?
My 2 cents - go for a 'survivor-informed' approach. Ask the client what they need, how they would like it to end, maybe even what they would do if they were in your shoes. So often in trauma-informed care we forget the goal, which is the empowerment of the survivor. We can have great skills, know the best protocols, but at the end of the day it is about how the survivor feels. Do they feel connected? Do they feel you genuinely care? Do they feel seen and heard and that they matter? Do they feel they have power and control in this situation?
You sound as if you have great experience so forgive me if you knew all this already. I don't believe we can practice trauma-informed care without having a survivor-focused lens but I may be preaching to the converted!
Lou
Lou, this is wonderful guidance. I love it! Thank you so much. What a great reminder that this work is about empowerment.
Kiki
Louise Godbold posted:My 2 cents - go for a 'survivor-informed' approach. Ask the client what they need, how they would like it to end, maybe even what they would do if they were in your shoes. So often in trauma-informed care we forget the goal, which is the empowerment of the survivor. We can have great skills, know the best protocols, but at the end of the day it is about how the survivor feels. Do they feel connected? Do they feel you genuinely care? Do they feel seen and heard and that they matter? Do they feel they have power and control in this situation?
You sound as if you have great experience so forgive me if you knew all this already. I don't believe we can practice trauma-informed care without having a survivor-focused lens but I may be preaching to the converted!
Lou
Great set of questions, Louise - thank you for this gentle reminder of the value of asking the client! Yes!!!
