Open Course: Understanding Trauma & Core Principles of Trauma Informed Practice

This workshop offers a reflective learning space to explore Trauma Informed Practice. Zebra's unique approach weaves together learning from Trauma Informed Approaches, Strengths Based Practice and the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) to offer a non-pathologising approach to supporting people healing from trauma.

Workshop content:

Understanding Trauma & Trauma Informed Practice: Core Principles

• defines trauma
• explores the causes, emphasising the 3 E’s of Trauma
• takes a critical look at the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) research
• highlights 'the Other ACEs'
• explores attachment, developmental trauma & how brains can become wired towards toxic stress
• explores trauma responses 
• introduces & explores the key concept of protective factors
• introduces the Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF); a non-pathologising alternative to understanding emotional distress
• Introduces Zebra Collective’s 4 Core Elements of Trauma Informed Practice 

Please read

The workshop explores definitions of trauma, early childhood experiences & attachment. Whilst we strive to be trauma-sensitive in all we do, the content of this session is inevitably emotive & can be activating. Please consider what you need to feel as safe as possible before, during & after the session & reach out if you need support.

Facilitator: Vicky Brooks is the Trauma Informed Practice lead with Zebra Collective. With 20 years’ experience working in drug & alcohol services with people who have experienced profound & complex trauma, Vicky initially worked within the criminal justice system with the Prolific Offender Unit, then for 10 years in the child protection & safeguarding arena working with parents. Vicky spent 3 years working across the South-West Peninsula with the Family Drug and Alcohol Court (FDAC), a fundamentally trauma-informed approach to supporting families through care proceedings. Prior to this, Vicky’s background was in delivering training & facilitating group work & she has been developing & delivering training specifically on trauma informed approaches since January 2019. Vicky was the Network Coordinator of the Trauma Informed Plymouth Network from 2021-2024 & also delivers shame competence training on behalf of Professor Luna Dolezal of the Shame Lab at the University of Exeter.

Zebra Collective have been delivering training & facilitating reflective learning spaces around the variables that can shape a person’s life - adversity in childhood, complex & developmental trauma, adverse community environments, adverse cultural environments & the presence (or otherwise) of protective factors - since our inception over 20 years ago. We take pride in thinking critically about prevailing narratives around how we conceptualise ‘mental health’ & emotional distress. Our approach aligns with a non-pathologising, non-medicalising mindset that sees someone’s presentation, behaviour & distress as reflective of things that have happened – or are happening - to them.

Any questions, do reach out to vicky@zebra.coop