Colette Ryan posted:Hi Jane, Many thanks for your response - very enlightening and articulate and appreciated. I'm doing some research on Trauma Informed Care and Trauma Informed Approaches and I am immersed in thinking how I can put forward the most robust approach in why this work is so important. As you can imagine there are quite a few 'critics', and I guess I want to be able to construct the best thesis that I can - this work is too important not to.
I am including a link to a paper from the British Psychological Society (Jan 2018) 'The Power Threat Meaning Framework Overview'. Some quotes from this framework include: "It does not assume 'pathology'; rather, it describes coping and survival mechanisms which may be more or less functional as an adaptation to particular conflicts and adversities in both the past and present.": "It offers alternative ways of fulfilling the service-related, administrative and research functions of diagnosis.": "It includes meanings and implications for action in a wider community/social policy/political context."
"In summary, this PMT Framework for the origins and maintenance of distress replaces the question at the heart of medicalization, "What is wrong with you?" with four others:
What has happened to you? (How has Power operated in your life?)
How did it affect you? (What kind of Threats does this pose?)
What sense did you make of it? (What is the Meaning of these situations and experiences to you?)
What did you have to do to survive? (What kind of Threat Response are you using?)
Translated into practice with individual, family or group, two additional questions need to be asked: What are your strengths? (What access to Power Resources do you have? ...and to integrate all the above: What is your story?" https://www1.bps.org.uk/system...PTM%20Main%20web.pdf
I think this is a very well researched, powerful framework with huge implications for changing how we do things and how people experience health (mental health & addiction) services and beyond...education, corrections, etc., and all the things you mentioned Jane. First and foremost I believe people need to be acknowledged, and validation given to their experiences, with compassion. And I do believe the contribution of ACE's science is the fuel for this paradigm shift so thank-you to everyone involved in this work.
Thank you for this excellent resource! I am so impressed by the level of research and insight. It really seems that the various disciplines doing this work aren't really talking to each other. I do social science research and I don't think I would have come across this as it seems more provider oriented. There are sociologists doing this work, epidemiologists, physicians, anthropologists, psychologists, social psychologists... I wonder how many of us read outside our discipline. Thanks again.