On Friday, October 24th, the Psi Beta/Psychology Club hosted the Seneca Family of Agencies for an engaging presentation on trauma-informed care. Trauma-informed care recognizes how trauma can affect a person’s thoughts, emotions, behavior, and relationships, and emphasizes supportive practices that avoid re-traumatization. TIC is grounded in six core principles: safety; trustworthiness and transparency; peer support; collaboration and mutuality; empowerment and choice; and cultural, historical, and gender awareness.
Led by Samuel Deck, a Therapeutic Behavioral Service Embedded Intern, we learned about different types of trauma, as well as the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and how early trauma can create a chronically activated stress response in the brain. Sam also introduced practical interventions, such as the 5 Senses Grounding Exercise (identifying five things you can see, four you can touch, three you can hear, etc.), which can support emotional regulation and help calm the nervous system. In addition, he explained the concept of the Internal Working Model (our worldview shaped by early experiences) and how trauma-informed care can help rewrite unhelpful patterns created by trauma.
Although trauma can be a sensitive topic, Sam delivered the material in a compassionate, accessible, and supportive way. We also appreciated hearing from Marco Arellano, a recruiter from Seneca, who shared information about job opportunities within the agency.
