Trauma-sensitive Communities

Trauma-Sensitive Communities

Imagine living in a 'therapeutic town'...

Imagine having a community of trusted people to support your emotional wellbeing... A network of services who are run by people who understand how we are effected by trauma and who understand the challenges of coping with mental health needs. Community groups who understand what you need in order to step foot inside that art class, pilates group, running club, massage, beauty therapy appointment.... Imagine if they all took place in welcoming, trauma-sensitive environments that feel safe enough to approach.

Imagine being able to connect more easily with your community...

We have this vision too. We are passionate about linking you to the right organisations when you are on a therapeutic journey, or focusing on your wellbeing.

For some people this might be about finding extra activities to support therapy. For example, if yoga's not your thing, there are other ways of reconnecting with our body and learning to manage emotions. Such as through martial arts, Pilates, running or supporting mindfulness through art and crafting groups. Maybe helping to rewrite your trauma story and imagining the life you want to have, through story telling and creative writing groups.

For other people, this network may be to support recovery after therapy. Our clinical experience has shown that there's little opportunity to 'test out' what you have learned in therapy and start to make connections, in a safe supported way after therapy. People have described feeling like they 'fall off a cliff' when support ends. So it is our aim to create a community or network that people can move into to continue their journey. This can be created through a trauma-sensitive network of local businesses and groups that feel 'safe' enough to try, understanding of trauma experiences and offer additional support to join them if needed.

Healing from trauma and moving beyond the effects of mental health challenges might be about:

Belonging and Connection

Creativity

Mindfulness

Movement

Story Telling

Caring for ourselves

Having a cause or campaign

We believe we already have a wealth of resources amongst our community, who could create trauma-informed service provision within what they already do with some additional support.

We are inviting people to join us as part of our 'Trauma-Sensitive Trafford' project. We can talk about what you offer and any ideas you have already. Then we will learn from each other to understand trauma and the needs of our community. We can walk you through our mapping tool that helps you recognise current strength and opportunities for culture change. Together, we will support you to make your offer trauma-sensitive, e.g. how you engage people, the environment you work in and the process involved in your work. Businesses & individuals can then join together with other trauma-sensitive organisations for network meetings to think about the work, reflect on any challenges and achievements, raising awareness, and learning from each other. This could even be an opportunity to develop new ideas out of lived experiences.

Please get in touch for more information or to share your ideas.