I recently attended a summit to learn alongside others and engage in conversation about building trauma-informed communities. Not only was this an opportunity to earn coveted PDUs, but it was also a fantastic reminder for why psychosocial support is absolutely necessary in communities. This regional summit was sponsored by Seasons Center for Behavioral Health and Autumn's Center, please follow the links to learn first hand about these organizations and their goals. The keynote speaker of this conference was Jennifer Elgersma whose three year old daughter died due to injuries sustained from abuse by an in-home daycare provider. Her keynote address absolutely set the tone for the rest of the conference.
I was able to learn about the cultural sensitivities in this area of the Midwest and specifically the class disparities that impact access to, and engagement with healthcare entities. I love it when conferences have discussions centered around cultural responsiveness. Mainly because I feel that I need to be constantly reintroduced to this topic in new ways so that I don't loose sight of it. As always, there was the topic of self-care, but refreshingly it wasn't just tacked on at the end of the summit. It was thoughtfully placed in the middle of the day when attendees could actually focus on the material instead of thinking about their imminent commute home. I was given some new thoughtful ideas in how to pursue my own self-care needs, but also reaffirmed in my current strategies. What was exceptionally profound though was the connection made between self-care and vicarious trauma. I sat during this portion of the presentation wondering, "How has no one ever addressed this before?" I have had plenty of presentations that include burnout, but never before have I heard vicarious trauma mentioned.
As expected at a trauma-informed summit the topic of early childhood trauma was discussed, along with its effects. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were included as a small portion of this presentation and I highly encourage everyone to watch Nadine Burke Hariss's passionate Ted Talk about ACEs here. This conversation also included information regarding brain development and effects of neonatal trauma that were exceptionally insightful. The last speaker of the day engaged in an overwhelmingly informational talk about human trafficking and it's significant presence in the Midwest. I can admit that I was shocked by some of the numbers and statistics shared during this presentation. Did you know that the time of year, in the U.S., with the highest incidence of human trafficking is at the time of the Super Bowl? Wouldn't it be great if there could be a super bowl ad about that?
I was extremely glad that I attended this summit and will be looking for other similar opportunities in the future. What types of professional development have you engaged in lately?
-K
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