Leadership and Trauma-Informed Care: Working to Support Staff and Teams

Abstract

The concept of "trauma-informed care" as a paradigm in public health and human services has evolved over the past 30 years. Can trauma-informed practices be used as a leadership tool to help address staff/colleagues as they grapple with the concerns associated with a complex health care landscape? Trauma-informed care shifts the focus from "What's wrong with you?" to "What happened to you?" This powerful approach to addressing stress might help set the stage for caring and meaningful interactions among staff and colleagues before exchanges become fraught with blame and unproductive or toxic impacts on team-based relationships.

Keywords: Empowerment; Leadership; Stress; Support.