Articles, Books and Podcasts:
- Marris, W. (2025): Trauma informed Workplaces. Campaign for Trauma Informed Policy and Practice How to manage trauma: The National Council for Mental Well Being
- Manning, Katharine. “We Need Trauma-Informed Workplaces.” Harvard Business Review, 31 Mar. 2022
- The Empathetic Workplace: 5 Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma On the Job
- Podcast: Creating Trauma Informed Systems with Sandra Bloom
Trauma-Informed Practices
When we respond to conflict in a trauma-informed way, there are four core needs that anchor our approach:
- Acknowledgement
- "I will be heard, and what I say is valued"
- Support
- "I can get the help I need without feeling shame or fear for asking"
- Trust
- "I will be treated with care and respect"
- Safety
- "I have all of the above and can exist in this space without fear"
The 4 Rs of Trauma-Informed Care
Realize
Realize the pervasive nature of trauma
Recognize
Recognize the signs, symptoms and impact of trauma
Respond
Respond to the needs with trauma responsive tools and resources
Resist Re-traumatization
Resist re-traumatization not to cause more harm
Proactively Create Safe and Predictable Environments
- Instead of surprise meetings, talk with your colleagues to see how they prefer to check in.
- Avoid cold calling in meetings.
- Work collaboratively to set expectations at work.
- Ask your colleagues their space preferences (office door open or closed for meetings, knocking first, sitting next to or across from someone)
- Honor people's communication boundaries around work hours
- Set aside time to address conflict 1:1 rather than in front of a group
Relationship-Centered Approach
- Get to know colleagues by checking in with them to see how they are doing.
- Build trust through empathy, patience, and presence during difficult conversations.
- Recognize that behavior is communication
- Reduce defensiveness and center the relationship with our colleague
- Respond with interest, not punishment or trying to "fix" things.
Trauma-responsive Communication
- Avoid deficit-based language and assumptions.
- Utilize affirming language: "thank you for sharing this", "I hear you"
- Utilize dialogue rather than debate
- Pause defensiveness
- Pause judgements and assessments
- Lead with observations and interest
- Utilize consent-based communication
- "Do you feel comfortable sharing more?"
- "Is it ok for us to keep talking about this right now or should we take a break?"
- "I'd like to understand this better. Can I ask a question to make sure I've heard you right?"
A Multi-partial Approach in conflict
- It is very difficult to be neutral when:
- We are in conflict with someone
- People come to us with conflicts they are in with others
- Multi-partiality: Recognizes that there are multiple truths that exist at the same time, even if those truths are opposing.
- Multi-partiality allows us to take part in conflict without taking a side.
- Neutrality often asks us to reduce the following in order to appear impartial:
- Compassion
- Empathy
- Acknowledgment
Campus Resources:
Counseling and Consultation Service