A Trauma-Informed Approach to Team Building

A trauma-informed approach considers a person’s history of trauma and the ‘why’ of their behaviours. It means thinking about what might have happened to someone over the course of their life to cause a reaction to a present-day circumstance. Consideration and understanding of cultural, historical and gender issues should be top-of-mind when taking a trauma-informed approach.

A trauma-informed approach on a team brings an understanding of the prevalence and effects of trauma in all experiences. This may include internal team interactions as well as the impact of external stressors. Teams who are able to recognize the impact historical trauma can have on their members are able to respond when problems come up with empathy and compassion.