Celebrate your examples of small changes that make a significant impact!
We hope you will enjoy some of the recent examples that have been shared with us.
Hearing some of your challenges and mistakes would also be refreshing! This recognises the journey that we are all on towards becoming more trauma-informed.
We want to be on a journey that allows us to make mistakes, admit when we’ve got things wrong and empower ourselves and each other to be the change we want to see – with humility and empathy for ourselves and others.
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The Champion Who Kept Us Afloat
"I can categorically say that the help, understanding and support I received from our trauma therapist as an adoptive family not only kept us together as a family, but helped me to understand how my son would be feeling and how to respond to the behaviours these feelings created.
She really got what it was like to be me, his mum, with all my love, anger and frustration, guilt, grief and often huge bouts of despair. I never felt judged, or wrong even though there were many times I got it wrong. She was the person who kept me afloat in times I would have willingly drowned.
She was my champion who championed my parenting whenever and wherever she could."
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A Day of Feeling Truly Seen
"When I was anxious about going to my doctor appointment for my first ever smear test (cervical health screening), the nurse was so kind and really put me at ease.
She explained everything very simply and just had such a kind way of communicating with me. Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit of a weird person who people think is a little odd and I don't feel truly "seen", but I felt really seen that day."
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A Question That Showed Real Care
"I went to see an NHS physiotherapist, after nine months on a waiting list for something that was causing me significant pain.
The setting was less than ideal for a few reasons. But the physiotherapist took the time to ask me, "What is your body telling you is wrong?"
It made me feel like he was really listening to what I had to say, and felt deeply trauma-informed, which demonstrates how — even with no additional resources and in structurally problematic spaces — you can still work in this way."
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The Colleagues Who Were My Anchors
"Colleagues listened to me in the immediate aftermath of a traumatic relationship breakdown. I felt in chaos and I couldn't make sense of what was happening and them listening to me and reflecting back what I was saying made me feel much calmer and start to untangle my thoughts.
They then helped me in the practical ways I needed at the time, and I was given leave to focus on my personal life and not have to worry about work. This helped me so much to navigate a difficult time and to look to a future much more positive."
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The Kindness at the Front Desk
"I took a young person to access sexual health services at The Zone earlier this year. The female front-of-house worker was absolutely amazing!
Friendly, welcoming and kind. She could tell the young person was feeling really anxious, and through her simple openness and kindness really settled the young person's nerves.
She did this with every young person who came through the door. THANK YOU."
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The Words That Helped Her Shine
"After a recent visit to the Cumberland Centre to get wounds treated that were caused by self-harm, our daughter returned home beaming. She shared the notes that had been written on her NHS app by the nurse who had treated her.
The notes started by saying, 'I had the greatest pleasure to meet this lovely young lady,' before detailing the reason for the visit. Although that may seem like such a small kindness, I cannot tell you the impact this had on our daughter, who felt like she had been seen for more than the challenges and struggle that brought her to the appointment in the first place.
She had been expecting to have to justify, explain or feel shame about her attendance. The absence of that transformed not only the experience itself but how she felt about herself as a result. It is a great example of Karen Treisman's mantra that 'every interaction is an intervention' that I wanted to share and celebrate.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to do that (which has been done with our daughter's consent)."
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A School That Welcomed Her In
"UTC school.
The care they have shown to a young person and understanding of her individual situation has been outstanding.
They have really made her feel safe and welcomed."
Join our movement for change
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.
