Chronic stress and trauma are present in all of our lives some degree. These experiences directly impact our clients’ health, both as causative factors and as obstacles to healing. Our own experiences and understanding of stress and trauma will naturally also impact how we show up as practitioners. So, it’s imperative that all practitioners be trauma-informed as part of ethical and effective practice that centers client needs and wellbeing.

This class will introduce the tenets of trauma-informed care and distinguish between being trauma-informed and treating trauma directly. We’ll discuss staying within our scope of practice, determining helpful supports and referrals, and centering client agency in the context of the mental healthcare system. We’ll also review the mechanisms through which chronic stress and trauma can cause and compound various conditions and negatively impact overall health and resilience through alterations in the nervous, endocrine, immune, and digestive systems and their constant interplay. (And, yes, our famous friend, the vagus nerve, will also make an appearance.)

Key approaches to support clients experiencing chronic stress and/or trauma as their primary concern or as part of a larger set of health goals will also be provided, including herbs, nutrition and somatic practices. Finally, we’ll address practitioner resources for working with stress and trauma in our own lives and communities, recognizing that our own unsupported trauma can sometimes pose the biggest obstacle to responsibly and effectively partnering with our clients.

A recording will be available to everyone who registers, so please sign up even if you can’t attend live.