Leadership that goes beyond care

I’ve had a few interesting conversations recently about the differences between trauma-informed care and trauma-informed leadership. It is clear to me that there are still questions to be answered about where the distinctions lie, and how applicable trauma-informed principles are to mainstream organisations and other settings such as education.

The origins of trauma-informed leadership

Trauma-informed leadership developed from the trauma-informed care movement, but leaders in mainstream organisations cannot simply adopt trauma-informed care practices and principles without key adaptations.

Trauma-informed care refers to care of patients or clients, usually in the health and social services sectors. It acknowledges that patients and clients who access services such as mental health, homelessness, financial support or child safety frequently present with a history of trauma or ongoing traumatic situations. Initially the trauma-informed movement focused on the care of these patients and clients, later incorporating acknowledgement of the impacts of direct or secondary trauma on staff in these fields.

The US Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Association (SAMHSA)’s trauma-informed care approach is frequently cited in the trauma-informed leadership literature. SAMHSA proposed 3Es and 4Rs.

The 3Es describes a person’s experience of trauma: event, experience, and effect.

The 4Rs guide the response to a traumatic incident: realise, recognise, respond, and resist re-traumatisation.

Read the full article at The Trauma-informed Leader on Substack.