An impromptu gathering took place in Washington, DC on Dec. 14 to address the need for a national organization to advance a public policy agenda based on current knowledge about adversity and trauma, and to provide a platform for collective advocacy. Another goal of such an organization would be advancing a public health approach that integrates prevention and trauma-informed policies, programs, and practices.

The individuals around the table included pioneers in the field of trauma with decades of contributions, millennials early in their careers who are embracing trauma learnings as community organizers and activists, and people with lived experience of trauma. A broad variety of perspectives and interests were represented, including health and behavioral health, education, child welfare, domestic violence, prevention and resilience-building, historical trauma and Native people, adult and juvenile justice systems, racism and poverty, faith communities and others. Several people joined by phone from a number of states. All participants shared the belief that knowledge of ACEs, trauma, and resilience can solve many seemingly intractable social and economic problems.

While a number of national, state, and local organizations have included trauma in their advocacy agendas, the group was not aware of any one organization devoted to promoting trauma- and resilience-focused public policies across the lifespan and in a wide variety of domains and settings. The absence of any discussion of trauma in the recent congressional deliberations on mental health legislation—the so-called Murphy bill—highlighted a deficit in trauma-focused advocacy on the Hill. Informal conversations about the need for a national organization have been ongoing but the striking lack of any attention in these deliberations on the mental health legislation brought increased urgency to the discussion.

One topic of discussion was the importance of a trauma-informed approach to advocacy and of personal narratives to bring data-driven arguments to life. One’s approach to advocacy, including what language to use, what stories to tell---not squelching passion---was included in the larger discussion about addressing a wide range of issues and involving an inclusive and diverse group of advocates.

The group identified a number of organizations and individuals who should be brought into the conversation over the next few months. Messages sent after the meeting expressed excitement about the initial discussion, and delight about the passion, hope, and excitement in the room.