The difference between being trauma aware and trauma informed - the next level of trauma education
Earlier this year I was asked by the International Institute of Complementary Therapists (IICT) to write a feature article on the difference between trauma aware, trauma informed and trauma educated (aka trauma qualified).
For anyone working in the field of healing and transformation, these are important distinctions. We can do harm unless we are aware of the scope of our knowledge and capabilities when it comes to working with clients with trauma. The very nature of trauma means that shame lies just beneath the surface, and seemingly innocent comments, questions, and instructions can stir up shame and cause re-traumatisation. It takes a high degree of specialisation, experience, and training to work with complex (developmental) trauma and to offer trauma resolution therapy.
Many healers and practitioners only do short courses or weekend trainings to do trauma informed counseling and expect to be equipped to hold space for trauma processing. However, this can become unwieldy and even dangerous because one traumatic event is often linked to another traumatic event, which is threaded to another and another… Traumatic memories are not stored chronologically, and are encoded somatically (in the body and the nervous system).
"The key difference between being trauma aware and trauma informed – the next level of trauma education – is understanding that seemingly random responses are actually connected to the traumatic event and not simply indicators of ‘bad behaviour’ or erroneous thinking."
Anyone who teaches mindset techniques without being trauma informed can inadvertently harm someone with a trauma history, which is why I wrote this article.
The topics covered include:
What skills do I need to support my clients with trauma?
What does it take to be ‘trauma qualified’?
What does it mean to be ‘trauma aware’?
Safe ways to support your clients while being ‘trauma aware’
Creating ‘trauma aware’ habits in your practice
What does it mean to be ‘trauma informed’?
Creating ‘trauma informed’ habits in your practice
Here’s a link to the full article (free access).
Find out more about working with clients here.
Therapist listening to client