First thought when thinking about cultural competence, is the aspect of being aware of the cultural differences, backgrounds, and nationalities of this diverse world we live in. But how about being culturally competent in relation to being trauma informed? From what I have learned from Rosa Ana Lozada, CEO of Harmonium, is being trauma informed is not only about who has experienced trauma and the severity of it, but how each person reacts to the experience of trauma. Being aware of the cultural differences in reacting to trauma can help those in need of support.
Harmonium’s goal in relation to cultural competence and trauma informed is reacting to these areas with our core value of resilience. As a community we each take a responsibility in resilience in that we build together and support for a positive work environment, have self-care, and nurture. The steps we try to take is to get our community to begin thinking of what it means to be trauma informed in the work that we do at Harmonium. We see that it is not a quick process but a gradual one. Our environment and the people we serve is diverse and we want to take that into consideration. Children and their family’s cultural variations in experience and response to trauma cannot be seen if we ourselves do not understand our culture views and responses to trauma. Culture influences our beliefs, which likewise effects our behaviors. The value is demonstrating the three Rs, Realize and Recognize that there are culture variations, and Respect the differences. What are some ways others are being culturally sensitive to trauma?
Comments (5)