Health Matters: Really listening is key to helping those dealing with trauma
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
IT has been difficult to ignore the narrative of “being trauma informed” in health care and society over the last few years, writes Dr Wendy van Riet.
A few years ago the term ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) came into our vocabulary through the ACEs study.
This study evidenced the relationship between traumatic events in people’s lives and the wide range of possible health and social outcomes for people, including both physical and mental health consequences.
In my own experience, it seems evident that professionals knowing and talking about ACEs doesn’t necessarily lead to actually applying this knowledge in practice.
When observing and listening closely, a big part of the difference between what we say and what we do is the fact that “trauma” is actually believed to mean a range of different things to different people, professionals and professional groups.
We are not talking the same language when talking about trauma and what it is, which leads to further confusion, then, about what it actually means when we say we are “trauma informed”.
The ACEs study, so often quoted when talking about trauma informed work, mentions particular experiences that should be considered as trauma, which as a psychologist I have found limiting in the understanding of people’s stories.
I have noticed that the ACEs discussion has sometimes led to the misunderstanding that “trauma” can be easily categorised and described in a checklist – that and as long as we ask about people’s trauma experience then we are trauma informed.
Through my clinical practice I have learned that what defines trauma is more about how people perceive and process their situation.
What might be felt as traumatic by one person might be viewed by others as something unpleasant that can be overcome.
I have seen how several “small” hurts in people’s lives can equate to a traumatic life experience.
People’s ability to process this trauma depends on the quality of people’s connection and support in attachment relationships, in the past and present.
Mental health services are still very driven by diagnosis and receiving support can often depend on these labels.
Trauma informed practice is based on being curious about the story underneath the label, listening carefully to the meaning of this story for the person in front of you and receiving the emotions that come with it.
Being with the person in their distress and being attuned to what their need of support is; seeing the person as a whole and not just as the label they might have been given.
Trauma informed services extend this courtesy to the people working in and with the service.
In my opinion, trauma informed practice is therefore dependent on the quality of the connection we bring to the people we work with.
Finding the right label that fits with their presenting problems is part of our work, but hearing and understanding the story provides meaning to the label.
It allows people to feel seen and understood and it makes connection and a road to recovery possible.
- Dr Wendy van Riet is interim clinical director of psychology at NHS Highland.
Related news: Health Matters: None of us would want anyone to suffer in silence
