Has any one ever seen or developed a guide to help parents evaluate whether services are trauma-informed? Thank you.
Pat Wilcox
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Hi Patricia:
It sure is needed!
There are several chapters in the revised and re-released version of Parenting with PTSD by @Dawn Daum and @Joyelle Brandt. Dawn is co-manager of the Becoming Trauma Informed & Beyond Community. She is leading an initiative in her work place as well to help herself and others transform the approaches to work. The entire book is written by survivors and survivor educators or providers like @Louise Godbold of Echo Parenting and @CHARLES DANIELS of Father's Uplift and lots of others - who also do great work.
Our Resource Center is being updated as well.
We have the Parenting with ACEs Community here at ACEs Connection and so many members doing great work. But, there's no guide/guidance around trauma-informed (if something claims to be and/or actually is).
I hope more parents/people chime in. Personally, I've done a Breaking the Cycle without Falling Apart and for CEU credits and I'm happy to share that if content if you want. I'm not a social worker or therapist though. It does talk about how resources for survivors must be led/co-led by those they are aimed at serving to be 1)effective and 2)trauma-informed (in my opinion). And it shares quotes/perspectives of many parents for professionals who want to make sure that "issues" being addressed are the ones parents are actually having.
Anyhow, we want to share as much as possible in Parenting with ACEs and I hope others chime in and share about other amazing work that has or is being done and what you come across in your own searching/research.
Cissy, Parenting with ACEs
Pat, I am very glad you posed this question. There are many of us out here trying to create and identify ways to do just that. Cis mentioned the book Parenting with PTSD which I co-edited. This is a revised edition of the original book because we started asking ourselves the same question. How do we know. We chose to include chapters in the new edition, written by survivors who provide trauma-informed family support services in hope that the reader/parent will gain perspective on what a TI service looks and feels like. Cis references some of the authors in her comment to you.
I have to say, I think preparing the parent to gain her own definition of what TI means will help as well, because although we (the ones supporting the parent or the parent) may not have a way to know if a service truly is TI when referring or entering the program, once receiving the service, if it doesn't line up with the parent's understanding of how they should be being treated and served, they can get out right away.
Please do continue sharing your thoughts on this topic!
I just obtained your book, thank you. I look forward to reading it.
Any one else have any thoughts about a guide for parents to evaluate whether services are trauma-informed?
Hi Patricia,
This blog article lists some questions you could ask a potential therapist. Some of these questions might be helpful.
https://www.healingfromcomplex...-potential-therapist
Patricia, Dawn, Joyelle: Please see this GREAT post/discussion in the comments. I had missed it and want to direct others to it as it's relevant to this discussion. Cis
