Introduction

Following the publication of Inclusion’s Trauma Informed Practice Guidance, our services are committed to embed the principles. In this article, Dave Myers takes us through his journey working in healthcare, discussing how implementing trauma-informed practices has provided a greater level of understanding for both staff and service users.

Dave’s Story

I have been involved in healthcare for 37 years.

This began as a nurse in Learning Difficulties, where ‘challenging behaviour’ was beginning to be viewed as valid communication, rather than ‘bad’ behaviour. Antecedents, staff behaviours and responses were beginning to be considered important.

In 1997, I began working at the Nelson Clinic, a residential drug and alcohol detox in Portsmouth. It was clear from the beginning that the service users were extremely sensitive to both their environment, and people’s behaviour and attitudes toward them.

My intuition and lived experience of careful monitoring of people’s ‘states’ allowed me to work productively with people. However, I often witnessed people’s valid presentations being dismissed as ‘bad behaviour’ or ‘non-compliance’.  I and others continued to meet people where they were rather than how they ‘should’ be, with great results.

I’m relieved to say that recovery services have positively changed beyond recognition since then.

I re-trained as a counsellor in 2008, and as part of my continued professional development, I attended a sexual trauma workshop delivered by Zoe Lodrick, where I was introduced to the neurobiology of threat/trauma responses, and the bigger picture began to take shape.

Skip forward to 2019, when I attended a “One Small Thing” conference. I was introduced to the concept of ‘trauma-informed’ care provision. This is where both individuals and organisations can be informed of approaches to service users that improve their experiences, outcomes, workers safety, job satisfaction and even reduce costs.

The way of working that I had always intuitively known about was now named, it was no longer a concept, it was very much real and being implemented successfully.

I began to train myself in trauma responses for service users, with my particular focus being from a counselling perspective, co-producing a rationale and programme for delivering counselling to single event and complex trauma clients.

I was excited when the trauma-informed concept and training started to appear in the Inclusion space. I even applied for one of the trainer roles to deliver Level 1 Trauma Informed training across Inclusion, not because I enjoy this work, I don’t – it’s way out of my comfort zone. I applied because I deeply believe that recognising the neurobiological underpinnings of the people we live and work with, alongside interest and understanding of their lived experience, can facilitate meaningful, safer and more successful outcomes and relationships.

Being trauma-informed, being neurobiologically aware and responsive to our fellow mammals, including humans, could make all of our lives that much sweeter.