Trauma-Informed Practice Quick Guide - Revision history

Seymour Jacklin: /* Remeber */ typo correction

2026-05-08T12:12:20Z

Remeber: typo correction

← Older revision		Revision as of 12:12, 8 May 2026
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	At Handcrafted, we work in community support, not clinical care. Our job isn't to process or treat trauma. It's to create the kind of safe, trusting environment where people can begin to feel stable and where, over time, real change becomes possible.		At Handcrafted, we work in community support, not clinical care. Our job isn't to process or treat trauma. It's to create the kind of safe, trusting environment where people can begin to feel stable and where, over time, real change becomes possible.

	=== ~~Remeber~~ ===		=== Remember ===

	'''All behaviour is communication.'''		'''All behaviour is communication.'''

Seymour Jacklin: /* What our approach looks like in practice */

2026-04-10T08:26:05Z

What our approach looks like in practice

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:26, 10 April 2026
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	When someone is difficult, withdrawn, angry, or inconsistent, try asking yourself: ''what might this be telling me about how they're feeling, rather than what kind of person they are?''		When someone is difficult, withdrawn, angry, or inconsistent, try asking yourself: ''what might this be telling me about how they're feeling, rather than what kind of person they are?''

	== ~~Why this matters: how~~ trauma affects people ==		== How trauma affects people ==

	Trauma, whether from childhood, relationships, or life events, affects how people feel emotionally, but it also shapes the brain and nervous system in lasting ways. This means that:		Trauma, whether from childhood, relationships, or life events, affects how people feel emotionally, but it also shapes the brain and nervous system in lasting ways. This means that:
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	Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — things like abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or parental substance use during childhood — are one well-known source of this kind of lasting impact. But trauma can come from many places, and its effects vary enormously from person to person. We never assume we know exactly how someone's history affects them.		Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) — things like abuse, neglect, domestic violence, or parental substance use during childhood — are one well-known source of this kind of lasting impact. But trauma can come from many places, and its effects vary enormously from person to person. We never assume we know exactly how someone's history affects them.

	== ~~What our approach looks like in practice~~ ==		== Trauma informed models ==

	Handcrafted's approach draws on a few different frameworks. You don't need to memorise these, but it helps to know where our thinking comes from.		Handcrafted's approach draws on a few different frameworks. You don't need to memorise these, but it helps to know where our thinking comes from.

Seymour Jacklin: edits for flow and readability

2026-04-10T08:24:11Z

edits for flow and readability

Seymour Jacklin: New revised guide uploaded with more detail

2026-04-10T08:07:53Z

New revised guide uploaded with more detail

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Seymour Jacklin: Created page with " === What is Trauma-Informed Practice? === Trauma-informed practice recognises and responds to the effects of trauma on individuals. It aims to deliver services in a way that is sensitive to the experiences of trauma survivors, fostering safety, trust, and empowerment. The approach is not about providing treatment or clinical interventions but creating an environment where individuals feel respected and supported. === Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice: === ====..."

2024-12-13T11:43:30Z

Created page with " === What is Trauma-Informed Practice? === Trauma-informed practice recognises and responds to the effects of trauma on individuals. It aims to deliver services in a way that is sensitive to the experiences of trauma survivors, fostering safety, trust, and empowerment. The approach is not about providing treatment or clinical interventions but creating an environment where individuals feel respected and supported. === Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice: === ====..."

New page

=== What is Trauma-Informed Practice? ===

Trauma-informed practice recognises and responds to the effects of trauma on individuals. It aims to deliver services in a way that is sensitive to the experiences of trauma survivors, fostering safety, trust, and empowerment. The approach is not about providing treatment or clinical interventions but creating an environment where individuals feel respected and supported.
=== Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Practice: ===
==== Do No Harm: ====

The foundational principle of trauma-informed practice is to avoid causing further harm. This requires creating safe and supportive environments where individuals do not feel threatened or re-traumatised.
==== Understand Trauma’s Impact: ====

Recognise that trauma can profoundly affect the brain and body, influencing behaviour, emotions, and physical health. This takes empathy and patience. Symptoms and behaviours often viewed as problematic are understood as coping mechanisms developed in response to trauma.
==== Focus on What Happened, Not What’s “Wrong”: ====

Trauma-informed practice shifts the focus from asking “What is wrong with you?” to “What has happened to you?” This perspective encourages a compassionate and non-judgmental approach to understanding a person’s experiences and responses.
==== Sensitivity to Comfort Levels: ====

We need to be sensitive to people's comfort levels, acknowledging that trauma can affect how they experience and respond to services. The way care is provided is as important as the content of the care itself.
==== Collaboration Over Coercion: ====

Trauma-informed practice emphasises working with people rather than “doing to” them. This involves actively involving clients in their care, respecting their autonomy, and fostering a partnership built on trust.
=== What Trauma-Informed Practice Is Not: ===

Not Clinical Treatment: While it acknowledges the impact of trauma, trauma-informed practice does not require clinical knowledge or the provision of therapeutic treatment. Instead, it focuses on creating supportive environments.

Not One-Size-Fits-All: It is not about following a set protocol but about adapting services to meet the unique needs of each individual, recognising that comfort and safety vary from person to person.
=== Practical Applications of Trauma-Informed Practice: ===

* Create Safe Spaces: Ensure that the physical and emotional environment is safe, welcoming, and free from triggers that could re-traumatise individuals.
* Respect Boundaries: Always ask for consent and respect personal boundaries, understanding that trauma survivors may have heightened sensitivities to certain actions or language.
* Empower Through Choice: Offer choices whenever possible to give individuals a sense of control over their care and environment.
* Be Mindful of Language: Use language that is supportive and non-judgmental, avoiding terms that could be perceived as blaming or shaming.
* Provide Predictability: Create a consistent and predictable environment to reduce anxiety and build trust with residents and trainees.

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:24, 10 April 2026
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	== What does "trauma-informed" actually mean? ==		== What does "trauma-informed" actually mean? ==

	Being trauma-informed simply means being aware that many of the people we support have had difficult or harmful experiences in their lives — and that those experiences shape how they think, feel and behave, often in ways that aren't immediately obvious.		Being trauma-informed simply means being aware that many of the people we support have had difficult or harmful experiences in their lives and that those experiences shape how they think, feel and behave, often in ways that aren't immediately obvious.

	It doesn't mean you need to know someone's full history, ask probing questions, or provide therapy. It means you approach every interaction with the understanding that there might be more going on beneath the surface, and ~~that the way~~ you show up — your tone, your consistency, your patience ~~— really matters~~.		It doesn't mean you need to know someone's full history, ask probing questions, or provide therapy. It means you approach every interaction with the understanding that there might be more going on beneath the surface, and how you show up (your tone, your consistency, your patience) is important.

	At Handcrafted, we work in community support, not clinical care. Our job isn't to process or treat trauma. It's to create the kind of safe, trusting environment where people can begin to feel stable — and where, over time, real change becomes possible.		At Handcrafted, we work in community support, not clinical care. Our job isn't to process or treat trauma. It's to create the kind of safe, trusting environment where people can begin to feel stable and where, over time, real change becomes possible.

	=== ~~One big idea to hold onto~~ ===		=== Remeber ===

	'''All behaviour is communication.'''		'''All behaviour is communication.'''

	When someone is difficult, withdrawn, angry, or inconsistent, try asking yourself: ''what might this be telling me about how they're feeling, rather than what kind of person they are?'' ~~That shift in perspective is at the heart of everything we do.~~		When someone is difficult, withdrawn, angry, or inconsistent, try asking yourself: ''what might this be telling me about how they're feeling, rather than what kind of person they are?''

	== Why this matters: how trauma affects people ==		== Why this matters: how trauma affects people ==

	Trauma — whether from childhood, relationships, or life events ~~— doesn't just affect~~ how people feel emotionally~~. It~~ shapes the brain and nervous system in lasting ways. This means that:		Trauma, whether from childhood, relationships, or life events, affects how people feel emotionally, but it also shapes the brain and nervous system in lasting ways. This means that:

	* Reactions that seem disproportionate or hard to understand often make complete sense in light of someone's past		* Reactions that seem disproportionate or hard to understand often make complete sense in light of someone's past
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	=== We focus on the foundations first ===		=== We focus on the foundations first ===

	A model called the '''Therapeutic Needs Hierarchy''' (Golden, 2015) describes what people need in order to recover from trauma — and it works like a pyramid. The base layers have to be in place before anything else is possible:		A model called the '''Therapeutic Needs Hierarchy''' (Golden, 2015<ref>https://kimsgolding.co.uk/resources/models/meeting-the-therapeutic-needs-of-traumatized-children/</ref>) describes what people need in order to recover from trauma — and it works like a pyramid. The base layers have to be in place before anything else is possible:

	# Feeling safe		# Feeling safe
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	# Building resilience and connection to a community		# Building resilience and connection to a community

	Only once those foundations are ~~solid~~ can deeper work ~~— actually~~ processing trauma — begin. That deeper work is for specialist therapists, not us. But ~~'''~~we ~~are responsible for~~ the foundations~~'''. When you help someone~~ feel safe, seen, and steady~~, you're doing something genuinely important~~.		Only once those foundations are in place can deeper work of processing trauma begin. That deeper work is for specialist therapists, not us. But we work on the foundations by helping individuals feel safe, seen, and steady.

	=== How we relate to people: PACE ===		=== How we relate to people: PACE ===

	The '''PACE model''' — developed by psychologist Dan Hughes — gives us a useful way to think about the qualities we bring to every interaction:		The '''PACE model,''' developed by psychologist Dan Hughes<ref>Hughes, D. A. (2009). ''Attachment-Focused Parenting: Effective Strategies to Care for Children.'' New York: W. W. Norton & Company.</ref>, gives us a useful way to think about the qualities we bring to every interaction:

	* '''Playfulness''' — keeping things light where appropriate; humour and warmth build connection		* '''Playfulness''' — keeping things light where appropriate; humour and warmth build connection
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	* '''Empathy''' — trying to understand what things feel like from their point of view		* '''Empathy''' — trying to understand what things feel like from their point of view

	PACE was originally developed for children with developmental trauma, but it applies to anyone. ~~Think~~ of ~~it less~~ as a technique ~~and more as an attitude~~.		PACE was originally developed for children with developmental trauma, but it applies to anyone. It's helpful to think of this as an attitude more than a technique.

	=== We focus on strengths, not problems ===		=== We focus on strengths, not problems ===

	Rather than focusing on what's wrong with someone's life or what they've failed at, we try to identify what's already working, what they're good at, and where they want to go. This is influenced by '''Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)''' — the idea that people have more resources than they realise, and that our job is to help them find and use those.		Rather than focusing on what's wrong with someone's life or what they've failed at, we try to identify what's already working, what they're good at, and where they want to go. This is influenced by '''Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT)'''<ref>Iveson, C., George, E., & Ratner, H. (2012). ''Brief Coaching: A Solution Focused Approach.'' London: Routledge.</ref>'''.''' This is founded on the idea that people have more resources than they realise, and that our job is to help them find and use those.

	In practice this means:		In practice this means:
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	\|}		\|}

	"Bottom-up" means that what people actually '''do and experience''' in our programmes — the activities, the relationships, the sense of belonging — can genuinely change things, even without formal therapy. The brain is more adaptable than we used to think (this is called '''neuroplasticity'''). New experiences create new patterns~~. That's powerful~~, ~~and it~~ means the environment you create matters ~~enormously~~.		"Bottom-up" means that what people actually '''do and experience''' in our programmes, whether it's the activities, the relationships, or the sense of belonging, can genuinely change things, even without formal therapy. The brain is more adaptable than we used to think (this is called '''neuroplasticity'''). New experiences create new patterns, which means the environment you create matters.

	== ~~The key principles — what this~~ looks ~~like every day~~ ==		== How it looks in practice ==

	=== Don't make things worse ===		=== Don't make things worse ===
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	; You don't need to be a therapist		; You don't need to be a therapist
	: This isn't about providing counselling or clinical support. If someone needs that, we help connect them to the right services. Your role is to create a safe, consistent, supportive environment ~~— not~~ to process their trauma with them.		: This isn't about providing counselling or clinical support. If someone needs that, we help connect them to the right services. Your role is to create a safe, consistent, supportive environment rather than to process their trauma with them.

	; There's no single script or checklist		; There's no single script or checklist
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	* '''Watch your language''' — avoid anything that sounds blaming, shaming, or like you're judging someone's character; focus on behaviour and circumstances instead		* '''Watch your language''' — avoid anything that sounds blaming, shaming, or like you're judging someone's character; focus on behaviour and circumstances instead
	* '''Be patient with yourself too''' — this is a way of working that deepens over time; you don't need to have it all figured out immediately		* '''Be patient with yourself too''' — this is a way of working that deepens over time; you don't need to have it all figured out immediately

	~~== Want to know more? ==~~

	* [[Trauma-Informed_Practice\|Trauma-Informed Practice (full policy)]]
	* [[Safeguarding_Policy\|Safeguarding Policy]]