What a great reminder that we caregivers (helping professions, heads of household), that compassion fatigue is REAL.  The good news is there are ways to diminish the effects of compassion fatigue. 

Take care of yourself so that you can take care of others.  

 Just watched an amazing (quick) TedTalk on diversity and inclusion in higher education. Anthony Jack brings real life experiences that many of us haven't considered as an aspect of inclusion or diversity.  Give it a watch.

 

This is such an amazing way to approach our experiences from a Positive Psychology stance.  Yes, it is terrible when we are going through a set-back, a failure, or even a trauma but we need to have hope that we can grow from the experience.  If we do not nurture that hope, if we extinguish it before it can grow, we are preventing ourselves from healing.

 What is trauma-informed care (TIC)?  Well, this is a holistic approach to ways in which we realize that others have experienced trauma, we recognize the signs and symptoms, we respond with healthy and helpful support, and we resist attitudes or behaviors that may re-traumatize.  

Having said that, TIC is not a discrete set of steps but more like a change in our expectation and behaviors.  Here is a great infographic from the American Institutes for Research that illustrates why TIC is needed in organizations but also why individuals must take steps towards TIC.

For more information, access this link: 

Assessing Trauma-Informed Care in Organizations | American Institutes for Research (air.org)

Assessing Trauma-Informed Care in Organizations (2016, January 20). American Institutes for Research. https://www.air.org/resource/assessing-trauma-informed-care-organizations

So, I came across this quote this morning and, I have to admit, it made me tear up a bit.  

"When the message we receive from another person is, 

'You're safe with me', we relax."

Bessel Van Der Kolk 

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind and Body in the Healing of Trauma

 

For me, this is what trauma-informed care is at its essence.  Traumatic events or recurring traumatic experiences truly make us feel that we are in danger (and many times, we ARE in physical or emotional danger!!) So, to have someone make you feel safe, well, that is the best first steps in building resilience and beginnings of the healing process.

 

 How do you make someone feel safe? One of the easiest ways is to listen to them.  I don't mean "hear the words coming out of their mouths".  I mean listen with your heart.  What is the message that their heart wants your heart to hear?  It may sound difficult, but it really isn't.  For me, when I am listening with my heart, I look at the person as if they are the most important person to me.  I see the person in front of me as deserving of my respect, even when they don't act like they do(maybe because they do not internally believe that they are worthy of true respect). It is my obligation and honestly, my honor to help them in whatever way I can.  Maybe their overt actions are really coping mechanisms for something in their past.  It is not for me to judge their strategies but to assist them in their journey.

 

My challenge to you-- can you make someone feel safe today? 

 Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) study by Felitti et al. (1998) found links between adult health issues and their traumatic experiences in childhood.  Over the past two decades more and more correlations of mental/physical health concerns and ACEs have been uncovered.  

The ACE categories are:

• experiencing violence, abuse, or neglect
• witnessing violence in the home or community
• having a family member attempt or die by suicide
• substance misuse
• mental health problems
• instability due to parental separation or household members being in jail or prison

(About theCDC-Kaiser ACE Study |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC, 2019)

It is estimated that more than half of the U.S. population has at least one ACE and many of us have more than one (Felitti 2019).  The more ACEs the higher the likelihood of having adult health challenges. People who have ACEs are also susceptible to becoming re-traumatized.  Trauma-awareness helps us all to build skills and gain knowledge to help reduce the chances of re-traumatizing another person. 

If you would like more information on Trauma awareness, please visit the 

National Childhood Traumatic Stress Network 

Or 

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA)   

 I have been teaching college-level anthropology and sociology courses for the past seventeen years.  I completed my Master of Arts in Anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit and my Master of Science in Biotechnology at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. I am currently a doctoral candidate in Social Science: Prevention Science at Wilmington University.  My area of focus is trauma-informed teaching and learning as a measure to promote student success.

 

My career has taking me into several domains, such as the clinical hospital setting, commercial labs, and higher education (faculty and student support services).  Although these areas may seem unconnected, there is an underlying theme of being part of a Helping Profession.  This is my passion, and it is one of the many reasons that I enjoy teaching social science courses at the college-level.  To me, one of the most important aspects of the social sciences is the ability to see others as they may see themselves (cultural relativism) and not how we "think they should be" (ethnocentrism).  Diversity and understanding differences may be the key to a more globally inclusive and resilient world. If I can help introduce and nurture these concepts in our communities, then I will feel that I have made a difference.

My current focus is on trauma-informed care and bringing this approach into higher education.  Many of have had traumatic experiences that have left lasting impacts (positive and negative) on our views of the world and how we conduct our lives.  Sometimes, we forget that others have had adverse experiences in which they cannot escape.  We need to be aware of our own trauma and that of others so that we can heal.