If you're a survivor...

Abuse changes your life.

You have the power to change it even more.

Silence keeps secrets and shame locked up. Silence also adds stress and anxiety. I'm a sexual abuse survivor too so I get it. But I also know that talking about sexual abuse opens rusty locks and breaks down shame. When we tell our story, we take back the power and control that was taken from us. In doing so, we choose our own brave ending. But talking is the first part. 

That's what happens in the weekly, free peer support group for sexual abuse survivors. We meet every Tuesday at Dress for Success Triangle in Durham from 6:30-8:30 pm. The group is drop-in so you don't need to reserve a place in advance or call-ahead. Come if you can. Leave early if you need to. Lap babies are welcome and the group is LGBTQ+ affirmative. No judgment here, just some gentle acceptance from women who get you.

And that's the gift of a community who gets you.

Because not everyone will. But by understanding how and why the effects of past abuse can linger for a lifetime, you can not only help yourself but also improve your quality of life. We do that in this group. The emphasis is on who you are and what feels most important to you. We don't talk diagnosis or mental health and no one is an expert. You're the expert of you. That's the peer support difference. You won't find that anywhere else.

Come check us out. 

Three Steps That Will Make You More Trustworthy

I talk a lot about trauma-informed care, support or resources. Trauma-informed means understanding, recognizing and responding to the effects of trauma to avoid further harm. It means accepting that everyone is a trauma survivor. It means those of us who work with the general public need to respond better to the signs we are given (because survivors do give signs if we're paying attention) and consciously avoid re-traumatizing people. Put more simply, it means making your service, system or approach sensitive and inclusive to the needs of sexual abuse survivors. Here are three simple steps to do this:

1. Ask only what you need to know. Endless paperwork is overwhelming...for everyone! While "all the facts" can be helpful to you for your reporting requirements for grants or other funding, it's emotionally exhausting for clients who are already traumatized, scared, tired, stressed and may be dealing with a mental health issue that impedes their ability to concentrate and think clearly.

2. Offer choice. Here are two ways to do this: A. If clients must do intake paperwork, provide all of it as downloadable forms on your website. This gives folks the chance to read it in advance so they are emotionally prepared for the question that they will be asked. Which is helpful even if they cannot print the documents at home. At least they know what's in store for them. B. Let clients know that they don't have to respond to every question. State that clearly at the top of each form ("if you are uncomfortable answering any of the following questions for any reason, you can skip them"). Giving people the power to make choices that feel good or safe to them helps them trust you.

3. Staff must look like your clients/patients. Therapists, social workers, doctors, nurses of color are not automatically better able to serve clients of color but they are more likely to be able to identify with the reality of living as a person of color and all of the challenges that go along with that. More on that idea and how some white therapists unintentionally re-traumatize their clients of color is here.

What would you add to this list? What's missing? Leave a comment below.

{Guest post} Why be Trauma-Informed in Health Education?

Shante' Speed is a public health education student at North Carolina Central University: "I have been interning with Ms. Elizabeth Johnson to better improve my own knowledge of how past abuse affects the health and wellness of women. I will be graduating in December as an entry-level health educator." 

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What does it mean to be trauma-informed? Someone who is trauma-informed is able to: realize the impact of trauma and understand potential paths for recovery, recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma, respond by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seek to actively resist re-traumatization (http://www.samhsa.gov).

Over the course of this semester I have learned that trauma and abuse is a widespread health concern that affects both women and men from all races, ethnicities and age groups. In fact, approximately one half (50%) of all individuals will be exposed to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime (http://www.apa.org). In the United States, an estimated 19.3% of women and 1.7% of men have been raped during their lifetimes (www.cdc.gov). Due to these numbers being so high, and possibly higher among other populations, it is vital for health educators to be trauma-informed.

Public health education is about working with individuals and communities to improve their health. Being trauma-informed aligns with almost all of the roles and responsibilities of a health educator. An example of this would be: when planning, implementing or administering health education strategies, interventions and/or programs, specifically ones affected by abuse or trauma such as: teen pregnancy prevention or breastfeeding education. Being trauma-informed is also important when conducting research related to health education and/or when acting as a resource person in the community. As a health educator one of our jobs is to accurately refer individuals to relevant organizations or agencies for assistance in improving their health and how can we do this effectively if we are unaware that past abuse affects physical health.

The hesitation on the part of some professionals that I have heard from is that they are concerned with extra work being created. But becoming trauma-informed does not have to involve overwhelming changes in their daily tasks. Often times being trauma-informed can save time. Being trauma-informed can be as simple as asking better open-ended questions, avoiding the use of generalizations or assumptions, or simply allowing clients to choose their own language to share their identify or name.

I feel that it would be useful for all health educators to take a trauma-informed training of some kind, whether it is a class or one day training seminar. Even as a current health education student, I was unaware of how common trauma and abuse are and of the fact that it affects physical health, long after the incident(s) have occurred. A trauma-informed approach consists of fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and seeking to actively resist re-traumatization. This is a difficult goal to reach if we are missing the basic knowledge of trauma and abuse.