Foster Care Training

Victims of trauma, particularly complex developmental trauma, as well as their service providers, caregivers, and families, suffer especially deeply from the sense that they were hurt without consent, without warning at times, and certainly without foreknowledge of the events(s) and their subsequent impact. A trauma-informed service should therefore strive diligently to be as transparent as possible in terms of decision-making, participation in service, predictions about impact of service or lack thereof, professional and interpersonal boundaries, and limits/lines of authority.

Trauma treatment and recovery depend heavily on developing the capacity to recognize, claim and tolerate intense and often opposing affect. Without the capacity for free expression of affect, within pro-social boundaries, maladaptive communication patterns leading to stunted interpersonal relationships are maintained and developed.

Traumatized individuals manage conflict through avoidance, distortion, provocation and re-enactment. Consequently, it is imperative that treatment providers and others involved embrace conflict with the attitude of curiosity and humility, valuing the opinion of each person in the setting. Conflict management tools should be modelled, practiced and reviewed regularly.

Self-awareness is critically important in trauma informed services. Opportunities for disclosure, discussion and discernment should be continuously available to staff who are involved in any way, no matter how peripherally.