Exposure to traumatic events is very common in today’s world. Over the past decade, major shifts have occurred in the attention that exposure has on individuals, families and communities. The term Trauma-Informed Services developed in response to meeting the needs of individuals who have had exposure to trauma, and to help ensure that systems and services do not behave in ways that are harmful to the clients.
A “trauma-informed approach” consists of organizational and individual paradigm shifts that promote the understanding, implement responses and create policies that are designed to lessen the deleterious effects of trauma and promote healing. However, this is complicated. Many experts believe that this is not a program model that you simply implement and then monitor. Many experts conceptualize this as a shift in culture and view it as a process.
Sparin Mental Health’s (Sparlin) Trauma-Informed Training Initiative is designed to help participants understand the process of creating a paradigm shift in their organizational or personal practice by providing the knowledge and skills necessary to help individuals make changes. Each training program offered in this series focuses on one aspect that is important to building your trauma-informed practice, with multiple trainings for each topic. Our menu includes the study of trauma, the application of trauma theory, trauma informed approach and the implementation of a trauma informed approach.
Sparlin was founded with the expressed intent to develop, consult, train and provide programs from a Trauma-Informed perspective. We continue to work diligently on maintaining our commitment to the principles that define the approach. Our courses and training sessions are informed by more than 35 years of experience in the field of trauma, including service design, implementation and evaluation of programs. Other resources used, include SAMHSA, NCTSN, the Sanctuary Model, the work of Maxine Harris and Roger Fallot, and many others.
In Missouri, there has been a needed shift in how systems “think” about delivering services to the neediest and most vulnerable in our community. Sparlin leaders are proud to have joined other passionate individuals at the local, state, and federal level to fuel this shift to include a Trauma-Informed lens. We have been at the table from the beginning to help push for a needed paradigm shift that not only recognizes the impact of trauma but also is intentional regarding its policies, programs and services, including a trauma-informed lens.
Making this shift at an organizational level isn’t easy, but the Sparlin Training Team is here to help. We can customize training programs to meet the needs and goals of organizations, and we offer courses for the community on a regular basis.
Contact us for more information regarding our Trauma Informed Training.