“Trying to implement trauma-specific clinical practices without first implementing trauma-informed organizational culture change is like throwing seeds on dry land.”
– Dr Sandra Bloom, creator of the Sanctuary Model
Hi, I’m Elpitha. I’m a GP working at Adelaide St Surgery in Stonehouse half the week and a therapist working from home in Totnes the other half.
I have been working closely with The Network for the last 4 years – co-delivering workshops to medical students, GP trainees and whole GP practice staff teams. I am passionate about embedding trauma-informed care into healthcare for the benefit of patients and staff alike.
We are currently running a Deep End Trauma Informed Project – delivering workshops to Deep End Practices and running a pilot Trauma Informed Clinic for patients with physical manifestations of trauma and complexity of presentations. In the Healthcare Branch we have a a space to bring together all Trauma Informed efforts across the sector, to share, collaborate and reflect on next best steps together.
I’m really excited to be part of setting up a Healthcare branch with Elpitha. I’m lucky enough to work as a GP in Plymouth for the last year, and before that in South Devon and Bristol.
Part of my current GP job involves a ” Functional Illness” clinic where, as part of a team, I often see the physical manifestations of past stress and trauma. I have found that learning about trauma and its effects has changed me personally and at work; it has felt like discovering the “missing link”. The medical model of care has drifted far from a whole-person perspective; and yet when you take a moment to understand someone in the context of their own story, much of their current physical and emotional experiences make complete sense. I believe most of us in healthcare know this instinctively and the more we support each other the stronger we will be!
In the rest of my life, I’m at my most content when I put on a pair of goggles and lose myself exploring the underwater world of our beautiful rocky shores! I also find joy in jogging with a trusted friend, tending to my veg patch or cherishing the rare quiet moments when I sit down to read a book with my kids next to me.
* Note that by becoming a branch member you will also become a member of the
Trauma Network, and therefore may occasionally receive Network wide communications.
Our ambition is for Plymouth to be a trauma-informed city. Our independent network is open to anyone connected with Plymouth with a desire to learn about and promote trauma informed ways of being. You too can join our Network and help Plymouth become a safer and kinder place, where the impact of trauma and adversity is both recognised and responded to with sensitivity and compassion.
