Walking the Walk: Democratizing Change in Teacher Education

In this essay, as a group of teacher educators, we discuss our experience of “walking the walk” of teacher education transformation at a time of urgent change. We reflect upon our process of integrating three key priorities in our preservice teacher education courses: education for sustainability; trauma-informed practice; and Indigenizing curriculum. Specifically, we reflect on how these processes were adapted according to the needs of individual courses and units, while at the same time making space for our strengths and our “unlearnings” as academics, and for the ethical considerations that troubled us. In this essay, we explore walking the walk of change and integrating social, environmental, and cultural justice principles in our work together toward equipping and enabling new teachers to be themselves agents of change.

Using Trauma Informed Principles in Health Communication: Improving Faith/Science/Clinical Collaboration to Address Addiction

Problematic substance use is a pressing global health problem, and dissemination and implementation of accurate health information regarding prevention, treatment, and recovery are vital. In many nations, especially the US, many people are involved in religious groups or faith communities, and this offers a potential route to positively affect health through health information dissemination in communities that may have limited health resources. Health information related to addiction will be used as the backdrop issue for this discussion, but many health arenas could be substituted. This article evaluates the utility of commonly used health communication theories for communicating health information about addiction in religious settings and identifies their shortcomings. A lack of trusting, equally contributing, bidirectional collaboration among representatives of the clinical/scientific community and religious/faith communities in the development and dissemination of health information is identified as a potential impediment to effectiveness. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) tenets of trauma-informed practice, although developed for one-on-one use with those who have experienced trauma or adversity, are presented as a much more broadly applicable framework to improve communication between groups such as organizations or communities. As an example, we focus on health communication within, with, and through religious groups and particularly within churches.

Improving outcomes for trauma-experienced individuals through the delivery of trauma awareness training for multi-organisational public sector workers

Purpose In support of the national requirement “to ensure that Scotland has a workforce that is fully aware of the impact of trauma, and is equipped to respond appropriately to people who have experienced trauma at any age”, Trauma Awareness Training was delivered to various public sector organisations across Dumfries and Galloway. Research has shown that trauma can significantly impact quality of life (Svanberg, Bonney and McNair, 2011; Bentall et al., 2014). A trauma-informed practice workshop was created and evaluated in response to a need for training within public services for individuals working with clients whom have experienced trauma. Design/methodology/approach From May 2018 to December 2019, 10 one-day Trauma-Awareness Training courses were delivered, engaging 224 public service workers from Police Scotland, Scottish Fire Service, Relationship Scotland, Shelter Scotland and DandG Council staff working with trauma-experienced individuals. The training was delivered via PowerPoint, short videos, whiteboard explanations/drawings and case examples. The morning workshop concentrated on defining psychological trauma, understanding the psychological process of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and the subsequent consequences. The afternoon session focussed primarily on complex PTSD, the role of adverse childhood experiences, attachment and emotional regulation/dysregulation and trauma-focused working with the wider multi-disciplinary workforce. The training concluded with participants developing strategies for coping with trauma. Participants were asked to complete three questionnaires: pre-training questionnaire on perceived knowledge of trauma and delivering trauma practice. Post-training questionnaire on perceived knowledge of trauma and delivering trauma practice to assess change and training evaluation. A third questionnaire was issued seven months after training to establish the impact of training on practice. Findings Findings evidence a positive impact on person-centred care. In terms of quality improvement, participants felt: The training was relevant across services and raised awareness of the importance of trauma-informed practice. They had a greater awareness of trauma-related issues with individuals. Confident in implementing learned skills to assist those who have experience of trauma. They could build better relationships with their service users, with patients feeling more understood. Originality/value Project findings identified a need for multi-organisational working and consultancy from psychological services to improve access to services. Ultimately, brief trauma-awareness training for staff can lead to more positive experiences for patients.