Trauma-informed approaches to working with adults

Most social workers in adult social care work in services which primarily focus on the immediate presenting issues faced by clients and their accompanying care and support needs, rather than in services which are specifically organised around supporting people who have experienced trauma. However, many people who are affected by trauma seek support from social care services, whether or not the service considers itself to work with survivors.

This is why it’s important to recognise trauma and understand how it can influence an individual’s way of relating to their situation and how their “behaviour” is often about keeping themselves safe because that is how they’ve coped in the past.

This session will cover:

• The different types of trauma and the physical, emotional, cognitive and behavioural effects they can have.
• How the Power Threat Meaning Framework encourages practitioners to shift thinking from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What’s happened to you?”
• The key principles behind a trauma-informed approach and how to put them into practice.

Lydia Guthrie, co-director, Change Point