Throughout July FD Consultants want to highlight the diverse expertise and professionalism amongst its associates. Claire Pooley is a senior BACP accredited psychotherapist with 30 years’ experience. She is a trained Traumatologist, Accredited EMDR practitioner, Supervisor and Trainer. Below Claire writes about her recent work, and her experience as an associate for FD Consultants. My training in the 80’s as a Mental Health Nurse lacked any consideration for a Psychologically Informed Environment. The structure of the day was centred on the needs of the multi-disciplinary team – ‘we know best’. We were the ‘well’ and the patients were the ‘unwell’. The separateness was enshrouded in keeping our professional boundaries. Our own personal welfare was also a non-concern of the hospital and I didn’t meet an Occupational Health team even at the beginning of my nursing, at the early and naïve age of just 17. We gave little attention to the patient’s possible experiences of trauma and yet, on reflection, I have little doubt that most of the patients I cared for would have experienced, or were experiencing, some form of trauma. We also didn’t spend any time on how the impact of the patient’s lives would have on our own. We used a “sic” sense of humour to laugh off any difficulties and would not dare to share any personal vulnerabilities. I currently facilitate workshops within a large Homeless/Housing project who have not only embraced the Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) approach but they have rolled out compulsory courses to ensure Trauma Informed Care (TIC), Reflective Practise and staff welfare are a high priority in the workplace. I find this organisation a breath of fresh air. At the beginning of each training day, I ask the attendees about their understanding of PIE and TIC and sit back and watch the energy and enthusiasm emanate in the room. It is not just a whim or a paper exercise, they believe in it and, at its best, it truly works for them. At worst, particularly for some of the lone workers, it would appear that more needs to be done to provide appropriate staff support. This is a work in progress. So what do we understand by these two concepts? Psychologically Informed Environment (PIE) recognises the gaps in services, particularly for those with complex and interrelated issues and provide the non-clinically trained staff responses for an appropriate and improved support provision. The approach ensures a service develops:
Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an approach which can be adopted by organisations to improve awareness of trauma and its impact and ensure their service provision offers effective support and prevents the possibility of re-traumatisation of those using or providing the services. Those using the approach:
Researchers have found that those using the TIC approach within organisations have better informed staff on Trauma awareness, they provide more of an emphasis on emotional and physical safety, they promote opportunities to rebuild control and provide a ‘strengths-based approach – helping to support and identify strengths and coping mechanisms. A superb example was shared by a trainee recently on one of the courses where she was struggling to remain client-centred whilst working with someone who “poisoned every act of kindness”. She was left feeling angry and was struggling to cut off at the end of her working day and felt a strong resistance to returning to work the following day. She was able to approach her team manager who called a ‘Reflections Meeting’, where staff were encouraged to talk about the feelings of “when things get tough at work”. She was able to share her experience and realise she was not alone and between them, found each other’s strengths and abilities to address the situation. She spoke of moving from “anger to compassion to healing” through the process and describes a collective sense of supportiveness and holding. During my work with FD Consultants, I have witnessed these approaches within some of the Humanitarian teams whilst providing preventative and trauma-focussed therapies to their staff. I have heard individuals who have felt held and supported through some very isolating and stressful traumas and have witnessed a non-judgemental and holding within their team, HR and management. Thus strengthening the resourcefulness of the individual and the team. They know they can speak out and raise difficult issues and believe they can be supported to carry out their goals. A safer place to work. Recognising the Covid-19 Crisis as another traumatic event in so many ways, I have been working with Fiona to roll-out a programme of trainings to help staff and managers work through their issues, from stress management through to a Crisis Management approach. I have also returned to the NHS to provide my local hospital staff with a programme of group therapies (GTEP RISC), which helps the staff to process some of their experiences and the effects that Covid-19 has had on them. Both are forms of Trauma Informed Care. For those who have not adopted this approach, I highly recommend it. Fiona Dunkley’s book, recently re-launched in a paperback form, “Psychosocial Support for Humanitarian Aid Workers: A Roadmap of Trauma and Critical Incident Care” (Dunkley, 2018) highlights the TIC approach and the need for proactive prevention and staff resilience. For organisations looking for employee psychological support, FD Consultants are the trauma specialists and well-being service who will best deliver a reliable, quick, and bespoke support system in the workplace. FD Consultant’s team of accredited specialists will offer ongoing support to help manage stress, prevent burnout and provide specialist trauma care where required, enabling your staff with the tools to cope, and recover more quickly References:
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