Blog

square bulletEmbracing Trauma-Informed Practices in the Workplace: Organizational Commitment, an Essential Element of Trauma Informed Care

From , LCSW, PhD, Director, Trauma Informed Oregon

This blog was intended for a January New Year’s newsletter, but it is actually being sent in February. Though staff had their parts completed months ago, I was behind. Then the last few months have made it hard to sit and focus on writing a bit for the blog. I share this because disruption seems to be both constant and unpredictable at the same time, similar to how I describe TI practices as both consistent and flexible. So the topics in February’s blogs and newsletter may be validating, may feel distant or trivial, or may be a helpful distraction. We continue our mission to work “in partnership with providers, individuals with lived experience, and families to promote and sustain trauma informed policies and practices across physical, mental, and behavioral health systems and to disseminate promising strategies to support wellness and resilience.”

I am deeply grateful to be able to gather with many of you over this past year and in the months to come. The amazing work so many of you are doing in and for communities gives me that polyvagal nerve glimmer ;). TIO is here to partner, support, learn from, and just hold space as we navigate these times. Connection, community, care, and dignity are words top of mind for me these days – please let us know how we can partner on any of these needed practices.

We are focusing February’s blogs and newsletter on the Essential Element: Organizational Commitment. I start by sharing a few themes from this past year, followed by fabulous blogs from TIO staff related to organizational commitment, and then a list of what we have been up to and what is upcoming.

We are grateful for you. Please let us know how we can support you.

Reflections and Learnings

Below are some of my reflections and learnings from the past year. In true Mandy fashion, this is more of a collection of musings – ramblings over a cup of tea – than any formal writing structure.

Repair and Healing

A frequent request we receive at TIO involves helping organizations navigate the aftermath of traumatic events. Increasingly, these requests center on addressing relational harm within teams or work environments. Often, the question is framed as, “Can you help us heal?” or “I don’t know how to repair after this.” These requests show up with feelings of sadness, guilt, fatigue, worry, and fear. There is often an urgency to these requests fueled by care for colleagues, communities, and the work that is so needed.

We often start this work by exploring what healing or repair would look and feel like. Take a moment and reflect on this.

Reflect: What heals, comforts, restores you?

Common responses to this reflection include time, naming what happened, validation, and the presence of supportive people. We try to model these elements at the organizational level. We create spaces with individuals and teams to listen, learn and reflect. Taking a moment to hear about the impact – and importantly, the different impacts – is a powerful step toward creating a new environment where people can flourish. A significant challenge for organizations doing this work arises when they are not allowed to talk about an incident – not name the elephant(s) in the room. Sometimes this is because of a legal restriction, but sometimes the reasons for this are less clear.

Reflect: What might be reasons an organization struggles with naming hurt and harm? How might any of these be related to what we know about trauma responses?

Change can begin when we can name what is or has happened. While this isn’t the whole process, it’s a crucial part. Reflection and learning from these moments help prevent recurrence. I am reminded of one the characteristics of an organization organized by trauma (i.e., not trauma informed) where one trait is “inability to grieve losses leading to a cycle of reenactment” [From Transformational Resilience, by Bob Doppelt. Adapted from Bloom, S. (2013)].

An invitation: Consider how your organizational policies and practices either support or hinder addressing harm.

De-escalation or Pre-escalation

This past year, we received numerous requests for de-escalation training. People shared concerns about feeling unsafe in their workspaces and in their communities. In response, we created a training, and it quickly evolved into a “pre-escalation” training – focused on awareness of oneself and one’s surroundings to impact outcomes positively.

It was solid content and well received across varying groups, and despite this, I felt unsettled; the training felt incomplete. As I continued conversations, a common theme emerged: fear – fear of being hurt, hurting others, or witnessing harm. And of course, a single training session isn’t enough to make people feel safer.

So, I gathered a few people who I admire and who do this work. The conversation quickly went to questions like: What does de-escalation mean? Who benefits, and why are so many seeking it? I know that typical de-escalation training is often not culturally responsive or trauma informed and often misses the comprehensive approach that spans prevention to postvention.

In 2025, I’m committed to continuing to work with many of you to provide more comprehensive and helpful tools and protocols that align with trauma informed values.

An invitation: Let me know if you have ideas or practices you find helpful.

How We Do the Work Is the Work

I have said this more times than I can remember this past year because it so beautifully reflects what TIC means to me. Practicing TIC is about modeling the principles we teach. It is not always easy and I don’t always get it right, but this is what I strive for in all of my interactions. For example, here at TIO we have checklists (more like considerations) for what makes a training trauma informed that cover what happens before, during, and after a meeting. Because how we do the work is the work.

Of course, these checklists evolve as we learn. Most important to me is that we take time to consider the why. Why provide nourishment at an all-day training? Why have fidgets available (quiet ones!) or arrange tables a certain way? Caring for how we do things helps people to engage in this important work – it also shows we care about who is in the room and their work.

A TI lens requires consistency and flexibility – simultaneously. We have certainly had our share of not-so-TI spaces and we adapt. I would not cancel a meeting because I don’t have access to fidgets. If I forgot a right brain question to open the meeting, that doesn’t mean it won’t go well. A TI lens is for noticing the impacts of our environments, and at the minimum we can name what we observe and change what we can (e.g. turning off bright lights or lengthening break time if there are minimal bathrooms).

An invitation: Reflect on your processes – on how you do the work. Are there ways to make them a little more trauma informed?

Keeping Trauma Informed Practices Alive

Sustaining trauma informed practices requires effort. It’s ongoing work that evolves with ongoing learning. The challenge is to keep these practices alive in ways that feel hopeful and helpful – not like box-checking or burdensome tasks.

In 2025, I’m committed to offering tools that remind us why culturally responsive, trauma informed practices matter – tools that will help us be reflective and re-center us when needed.

An invitation: Share your ways of keeping TIC alive in meaningful ways. We’d love to hear them.

Connection

My final reflection from this year is the importance of connection – to others, to our work, and to what grounds us. Requests for in-person learning have increased, and attending these sessions reminds me of the value of being together. Sharing meals, laughing (or grumbling) at technology, and hearing about your experiences – in the field – have been grounding and inspiring.

An invitation: Assess your connections: Too few? Too many? Do they support your wellness? I am going to increase my time connecting with nature, where, for me, awe and rejuvenation often reside.

What We’ve Been Up To

10 Year Anniversary!!! We launched this collaborative with a gathering in Salem in October 2014! (A reminder of a vision from the 2019 conference.)

Some Places We Have Been in Person: Pendleton, Hillsboro, Deschutes County, Bend, Seaside, Clatsop County, Washington County, Clackamas County, New Mexico, Alaska, N. Ireland, Colorado, Hood River, Salem, Coos Bay, Corvallis, Linn County, Benton County, California, and many virtual gatherings across the state.

Mandy at the SBNI Conference

Sectors/Audiences: First Responders, community colleges, universities, transportation, peer networks, health care, counties and local government, disaster management, infant/child mental health, educators, parents, youth, natural resource managers, behavioral heath centers, faith communities, prisons, criminal legal systems, administrators, policy makers, and more.  

A Few Stats from 2024

  • ~ 90 trainings
  • 4 Training of Trainers 4-day trainings completed
  • 5 Micro-Lessons serving over 800 people
  • 9 Workforce Wellness series moments
  • 2 Trauma Informed and Culturally Relevant Supervision trainings
  • New fidgets added to the collection
  • Data report coming soon!
  • Tabled at a few conferences: OCEBHA Behavioral Health and Aging Conference (UofO), JOY Conference, Oregon Suicide Prevention Conference, CPCCO Youth Summit: Substance Use Disorders and Youth System of Care

A Few Products and Projects

Fun Moments

  • Hi-chew favored in-person snack
  • Stickers were a win this year
  • Rodeo Scene as best pipe cleaner art (IYKYK)
  • One meet up with Caesar the No Drama Llama

TIO staff at conferences, tabling and visiting the No Drama Llama

New Team Member! Kelsey Gibbs, MSW

Kelsey (she/her) is the Training & Curriculum Program Specialist with TIO. She partners with TIO staff and community members to coordinate trainings and continues developing TIO’s curriculum to reflect feedback and new information about trauma-informed approaches. She has a Masters in Social Work and has experience working in community nonprofits, school social work, and community mental health. Outside of work, she enjoys exploring Portland’s food scene and watching soccer (go Thorns!).

Check Out These Blogs About the Essential Element “Organizational Commitment”

  • Stress Reducing Techniques for Work Days: The “Rock, Sway, and Cool-Ah” Technique, by Steffannie Roaché, MS LPC, Assistant Professor of Practice, Trauma Informed Oregon
    No matter how chill we are, things outside of our control can happen and cause overwhelming tension and stress. But then we can leverage our parasympathetic nervous system to regain that sense of calm and balance. Here is a technique to lean on that helps us soothe ourselves.
  • The Personal as the New Professional, by Danielle Grondin-Villanueva, EMPA, Organizational Change Strategist, Trauma Informed Oregon
    In the past, bringing your personal life to your profession was not welcomed. However, this is not necessarily the best practice for the well-being of your staff or organization. This blog shares how personal experience may enrich the workplace.
  • Moving Beyond Tolerance to Genuine Connections in the Workplace, by Steffannie Roaché, MS LPC, Assistant Professor of Practice, Trauma Informed Oregon
    Throughout history, the concept of “tolerance” was highly valued. During the crux of the Civil Rights Movement, tolerance acted as a bridge to deeper understanding among communities. However, we now understand that mere tolerance falls short of achieving true equity and justice.
  • From Survival to Well-Being at Work (and Maslow Too!), by Steffannie Roaché, MS LPC, Assistant Professor of Practice, Trauma Informed Oregon
    Maslow said we move through a hierarchy of needs from basic survival to higher goals like social connection, esteem, and self-actualization. How can Maslow’s hierarchy inform organizational practices to shift from surviving to thriving in the workplace?
  • The Hidden Impact of Space, by Christy da Rosa, MSW, LICSW, Research Assistant, Trauma Informed Oregon
    When implementing trauma informed care in organizations, we often focus on policies and feedback, but there’s another crucial element that deserves our attention: the physical environment.
  • Re-Centering Trauma Informed Work in the New Year: Assessing Progress in Your Organization’s Journey in Implementing TIC, by Ingrid Anderson, Ed.D., Associate Professor of Practice, Trauma Informed Oregon
    During this season, we often reflect on the past and look forward to the new year. It’s a time for renewal, both personally and professionally – a chance to pause, recalibrate, and align our actions with our values.

Register for Upcoming Winter Events

TIO is committed to partnering with community members to offer a space for learning, sharing, and building community. Feel free to register for any of our upcoming gatherings.

Upon request, TIO can host a private “Holding Tension” Micro-Lesson for organizations. Let us know if this is of interest to your organization.

We’ll have many more events coming up in 2025! Check back on our Events Calendar, or sign up for TIO’s Events email list.

Action Items for Our Community

Embodiment Practices for TIC

Trauma informed embodiment offers an opportunity for participants to deepen their connection with their bodies. This series of videos and reflection journal is offered by TIO in partnership with T. Aisha Edwards, LMHC and Tara Sonali Miller of Radical Rest.

Check out Embodiment Practices for TIC »

Certificate Available for Foundations of TIC Course

The Foundations of TIC course consists of eight short videos which cover the foundational topics of trauma informed care. It includes access to a 15-page workbook with thought-provoking questions to aid in the reflection and application of the information. To be eligible for the certificate of completion, learners must register for the free course and watch all videos from beginning to end.

Register for Foundations of TIC Modules »

Sign Up for Our Events Notification List

We want you to get notified when we add our new event offerings! Subscribers to TIO’s Events list receive monthly-to-quarterly updates on upcoming events from TIO throughout the calendar year. (Make sure you leave the “Send me TIO’s events and trainings emails” box checked when you complete the signup form.)

Sign Up for TIO’s Events Email List »

Stay Connected!

We love feedback and staying connected, so be in touch if you have a request, need, or want to collaborate.