What is trauma conscious social work?
Trauma conscious social work is the practice of asking “what happened” instead of “what’s wrong” when making meaning out of the dilemmas embedded in the complex, ambiguous, and ever-changing systems social workers face. Trauma conscious social work is recognizing we live in systems and systems live in us. In other words, it is the practice of recognizing the outward social consequences of oppressive and unjust systems affecting those we serve and the internal psychological stress these systems create not only within those we serve, but within ourselves. It is the conscious effort to center the lives and stories of those who have experienced, often for generations, the consequences of dangerous, inhumane, irresponsible, and oppressive policies and practices enforced by larger social and political systems while simultaneously considering individuals’ experiences of psychologically destructive acts often inflicted by individuals trusted to love and protect them. Trauma conscious social work is the practice of making sense of human behavior and humans responses to assaults on their bodies and minds leaving, at times, individuals, families, groups, communities, and organizations feeling overwhelmed, immobilized, and deeply unsafe physically and/or psychologically. Trauma conscious social work is an attempt to transform social and political systems both from the inside out and the outside in. It is the practice of recognizing an effective intervention must create both outward change present in responsible, humane, and liberating policies and practices and inward psychological shifts, even if incremental, toward neural and social integration. It is acknowledging the root of trauma is impairment in integration and the path to healing and well-being requires efforts to make known what has been hidden, to see what is not visible, and to embrace the notion that moving to a more complex understanding of both individual and collective experiences ignites compassion, stability, flexibility, and resilience.
