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My Shift from Trauma Integration to Collective Well-Being

 

The landscape and language about childhood adversity and trauma have morphed and changed over the past few years. We began talking about adverse childhood experiences, expanded to talk about adverse community experiences and now include adversities within the environment at large including historical trauma. People are searching for ways to ensure that we are identifying positive experiences that help shape and build resilience as well as the adversities impacting long-term health and social issues. We cannot cover up the fact that adversities and trauma have such a profound impact, however we also want to highlight the longing we have to tap into the human spirit pushing us toward traumatic growth. I have come to realize that shifting language is profound. Identifying words to better represent what happens in an organization that increases positive experiences follows this larger trend to emphasize protection and prevention.

Creating positive environments that foster traumatic growth inspired the ARC Framework. Building Attachment and supporting Regulation and Competency skills is the evidence-based work I use as a scaffold to help agencies and schools address adversities and stress. The end goal of the original ARC Framework is Trauma Integration meaning to “work with children to actively explore, process and integrate historical experiences into a coherent and comprehensive understanding of self in order to enhance their capacity to effectively engage in present life.” *  The ARC Framework provides ingredients to build a safe environment, trusting relationships, and enhance regulation and competency skills. I have used their framework to assist organizations who work with all ages.

What I have found is that the first and most important aspect of this work is supporting the caregiver.  The caregiver, in my definition, is anyone who gives care to anyone else.  We are all caregivers in multiple capacities whether it be with other staff, students, parents, clients, friends or family members.  The concept that we must first increase our own awareness, reflection and regulation is key to allowing us to build relationships and guide others. When done well, the entire organization begins to support one another; the connections grow stronger strengthening trust which allows prolific growth.

Researchers, activists and consultants began the ACEs/trauma-informed movement to decrease the negative impact of trauma and adversities in a humanitarian effort to help people achieve their full potential- to achieve individual trauma integration.  What we have found is that organizations that embrace and embed safety, trusting relationships, regulation skills and strengthening competency skills are enhancing the lives of all people in that system.

The end goal may have been to assist an individual to reach trauma integration, but in fact, the organization is now creating well-being for everyone involved.  Achievement is not solitary; the organization has done this collectively by supporting each other. Truly coming together with common knowledge and routinely using strategies and tools collectively, as well as individually, builds an environment that creates what I call “Collective Well-Being.”  Hence, to support this in my training, I have shifted the language on the graphic above from the Trauma Integration Tree to the Collective Well-Being Tree.

The Center on the Developing Child at University of Harvard states, “Resilience requires relationships, not rugged individualism.”  Building stronger relationships with the people surrounding you builds resilience within you and others.

When we

create felt a sense of safety,

allow for strong connections and trust,

increase knowledge, practice and use of skills,

we exist in an environment of Collective Well-Being.



Written by: Cheryl Step  Creating Resilience  creatingresilience.org

* Blaustein, M., & Kinniburgh, K. M. (2010). Treating traumatic stress in children and adolescents: How to foster resilience through attachment, self-regulation, and competency. New York: Guilford Press.

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