NOVEMBER 9th, 2023/BY LORI CHELIUS & ANDI FETZNER

Smiles and laughter. When we are hosting a virtual workshop, these are two of our favorite things. When people come back from a breakout room and we can see them smiling and laughing, we know that the people in that breakout room connected in some meaningful way. Just last week, we were finishing up a workshop series focused on tips for implementing a trauma-informed approach with CommuniCare Health Centers. When people came back from their last breakout we heard laughter and saw smiles beaming from the virtual squares. Perhaps not surprisingly–we had just invited them to share a work-related strength that they value about each of the people in their group. And who doesn’t love to hear what other people view as their strengths?

But then something else unexpected (and sort of magical) happened. Right after this workshop, Andi and I had our own conversation naming some of the strengths the other brought to our own team at Origins. I told Andi that she was always willing to dive in and learn something new to get something done. That I appreciated how she always focuses on connection first and speaks from the heart. Andi told me she appreciated my ability to frame a conversation (which made my left-leaning brain happy!). And we have leaned into those strengths even over the past week as we have been sorting out who needs to do what on various projects. Just today, we had a meeting where we had multiple technology-related needs on the spot and I and I turned to Andi, knowing she could pull them off no problem. Recognizing and celebrating one another’s strengths has impacted our organizational culture and made us more connected. Which makes our Origins team stronger. 

One of the things we like to say is that a trauma-informed approach is simple, but not always easy. When we consider the various lists of principles (which we have recently simplified here) and the 4 R’s and where to even begin, it can be overwhelming!  It really comes down to identifying ways we can decrease stress and increase connection.

Since we came together in 2017 to form Origins (read our Origin story here), we have focused on supporting the people who are as passionate about making a difference as we are. After hearing about the ACE Study and its implications on how we understand health and behavior, we both wanted to share this information with as many people as possible. Our first training workshop, which is now The Basics, does just that. Participants over the years have left as inspired and curious for more. Those who experienced what we like to call an “Aha moment” during the training wanted more. We developed The Resilience Champion Workshop Series to support those folkx, people like you, as they translate the concepts into a culture within their own organization or setting. Developing a shared language across an organization helps people talk about what they are experiencing and the workshop series supports the development of a culture of safety and connection. 

Working with people over the years, we know that implementing this approach can sometimes feel overwhelming. With that in mind,we are now offering a new series for those champions looking for simple and concrete ways ways to sprinkle this approach into everyday activities and bring this approach to life. Our Principles in Action Workshop Series allows you to take a tip and apply it to what you are already doing. We were excited to partner with the California Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) to present these materials at their recent Family Medicine Prism of Practice (POP) in August 2023.

As early adopters of a trauma-informed approach, we are often the first to introduce people to the concepts and we continue to develop products that meet the needs of the movement. This work is still all about connection and smiles for us and we hope to work with you as you continue to navigate your trauma-informed journey.

 

OCTOBER 25th, 2023/BY ANDI FETZNER

Since 2017, Origins has been a leader in the trauma-informed movement, working to support champions who are implementing this work across a range of organizations and sectors. Since that time, the movement has exploded, particularly in California, where the ACEs Aware initiative, led by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) has created even more opportunities for activation and expansion of this work. Through ACEs Aware, Origins has developed a practice paper in collaboration with Eisner Health and has provided Resilience Champion workshop series for both the Community Health Clinics of Los Angeles County (CCALAC), CommuniCare Health Centers, and Yolo County. 

In 2024, we will be continuing to support Resilience Champions who are interested in integrating a trauma-informed approach in their organizations or communities. If you’re a graduate of the Resilience Champion Workshop Series, you can now join the Alumni Group, to connect with and learn from other champions leading this work. If you are just starting your trauma-informed journey, you can join The Basics, our introductory training that helps establish a shared language. If you’re ready to implement this approach in your organization or community or are curious about learning more about how that would look, we invite you to sign up for the Resilience Champion! Anyone who is using (or who wants to use) trauma-informed principles and practices can take a resilience-building approach to lead change can make a difference! We also offer group rates so be sure to email us if your group is interested in joining any of the workshops.

But what does it even mean to be a  Resilience Champion?

I’m often asked the question “What exactly is a trauma-informed approach?” When I’m asked that question, a million terms rush through my brain: The ACE study, intergenerational trauma, compassion, brain architecture, integrated health, Decarte, nutrition, mind-body connection, epigenetics, and resilience. All of these terms start the creation of a word cloud in my mind’s eye. The name itself–”trauma-informed approach”–is received differently by different audiences. Even though I have spent over ten years swimming in both the research and practice of the stuff, explaining it flips my proverbial lid and thrusts me right into my own freeze response.

After some deep breaths, muscle clench-and-relaxes, and a swig of coffee, I have my thinking cap on again and am able to access an answer. At Origins, we define a trauma-informed approach as:

“Trauma-informed is a strengths-based approach to organizational culture that recognizes how stress affects people, promotes tools and practices to increase resilience, and encourages opportunities for safety and connection.

This approach starts with each of us.”

~Origins Training & Consulting, 2023

The concepts behind this approach are simple, but not easy. Over the years, we have worked with people who have concerns about their role within their organization and if they are leader-y enough or if they would know what to do next. To simplify and make our programs accessible to everyone, we developed a series of workshops that help support you in leading this work and are excited to be offering them to all of you!

In The Basics, a 2-hour live online workshop, we invite you and your colleagues to learn the language of the trauma-informed principles and practices so everyone can develop a culture centered on resilience-building together. You will learn more about the impacts of toxic stress on both clients and staff, while deepening your team’s understanding of ACEs, as well as the role of systemic and intergenerational adversity. Finally, you’ll learn more about the concept of resilience, identify how protective factors can help heal the impacts of trauma, and discuss how resilience can be built and sustained within an organization.

But once you have that awareness, what do you do about it? How can you apply these concepts to your setting?

The next step in your journey with Origins is The Resilience Champion Workshop Series. Enroll your action team (who will lead your implementation) in this six-workshop series to help translate and operationalize the key concepts of a trauma-informed approach in your unique organization. Together, you will develop a shared foundation, specific goals, and concrete steps to create and sustain a resilient culture.

Let’s look at one of these Resilience Champions. Jessica Flowers is the founder of A Creative Leap where she offers creative, responsive training approaches ​to support individuals and organizations. She previously served as the Program Director at Free Arts of Arizona, a nonprofit organization in Arizona delivering creative and therapeutic arts programs to children who have faced abuse, neglect and homelessness. Since its inception in 1993, resilience-building has been at the core of Free Arts’ programs and services but they didn’t always use those words. Jessica is a brilliant soul who I unknowingly introduced to ACEs during a training I provided for the community in Arizona. After she learned about ACEs science, she was able to put language to things that Free Arts was already doing and trained as many staff, volunteers, and professional teaching artists as possible on ACEs and the other concepts behind a trauma-informed approach. She explains why this made a difference for them: “For the first time we were speaking the same language as other people in our sector.”  While they had been serving foster youth in the community, that shared language and communication gave them access to, as Jessica puts it, “live within that world and have a focus and a common language and a common goal.”

Jessica Flowers is one of the many Resilience Champions who have taken the language of a trauma-informed approach and applied it to the culture of their organization. No matter where you are at in your journey, you (and your team) can join in this new workshop series that builds off the concepts from The Basics and provides a forum to help you translate those concepts into practical application in your own unique setting. By the end of this course, you will walk away with concrete next steps to begin the process of integrating a trauma-informed and resilience-building approach into your setting. 

We have updated The Resilience Champion Workshop Series and are excited to announce our next cohort starting on January 24, 2024.This 6-week virtual training program includes a weekly interactive workshop, activities to help apply the information, supporting materials, and additional resources for each of the following topics:

Week 1- Setting the Foundation and Defining Your Team

The purpose of this workshop is to introduce the series and establish the foundation for ongoing collaboration. As part of this workshop, we will work with the champion team to reflect on their “why”, create a shared language, and establish a team that includes voices of clients and staff throughout the process.

Week 2- Reflecting on Your Leadership Style

You don’t need a fancy title to be a leader. In this workshop, you will reflect on your leadership style and explore how to bring the principles of a trauma-informed approach to life. As part of this, you will identify your strengths and barriers around connecting, consider how to overcome those barriers, and practice skills to support your role as a resilience champion.

Week 3- Defining Your Values and Vision

The focus of this workshop is on the role of values in building a resilient culture and then using those values as a foundation for building a vision for integrating

Week 4- Exploring Your Strength and Needs

The focus of this workshop is on exploring the strengths and needs of your setting, considering different organizational domains, such as leadership capacity, services, clients, policies and procedures, and physical environment. The goal of this workshop is to identify a process to gather information about strengths, assets, what’s working well, and what your organization might do differently to best support staff and serve clients.

Week 5- Creating an Action Plan

The focus of this workshop is on using the needs identified in the previous workshop to define concrete goals for integrating a trauma-informed approach and supporting sustainable culture change. Participants will then translate those goals into an action plan through the process of brainstorming and prioritizing potential solutions.

Week 6- Capstone and Next Steps

The focus of this final workshop is on reflecting on the process of building a resilient culture and making it a reality. In this capstone workshop, participants will synthesize learnings and identify concrete next steps in the resilience-building journey.

 

Sharing a language allows for anyone in any sector to become a leader and to expand their reach into spaces that may have been previously inaccessible. In an effort to increase this shared language, The Basics is bundled into The Resilience Champion and is required before starting week one.  By enrolling into The Resilience Champion Workshop Series, you will have access to both courses! You will receive a certificate of completion for both programs! Each week, you will learn skills and application of a trauma-informed approach, have access to peers who are on a similar journey, and receive support from Lori and me throughout the process.

Coming back to Dr. Nadine Burke-Harris’ mission to treat the root cause of so many problems, we can remember her words: “This is treatable. This is beatable. The single most important thing that we need today is the courage to look at this problem in the face and say, ‘this is real, and this is all of us.” 

 

APRIL 2, 2019/BY ANDI FETZNER

The recent appointment of Nadine Burke Harris as California’s first Surgeon General represents exciting opportunities for increased leadership and momentum around issues related to ACEs and toxic stress. But you don’t have to be a surgeon general to be a Resilience Champion. Anyone who is using (or who wants to use) trauma-informed principles and practices and to take a resilience-building approach to lead change can make a difference!

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