December 9, 2025
Reflections on Leading a Trauma-Informed Care Training at Hopewell as a New Staff Member
By Carl Vondracek, M.Ed., LPCC-S, Hopewell Clinical Manager
I recently had the chance to lead a trauma-informed care (TIC) training at Hopewell, even though I’m still fairly new to the team. The training was designed to be practical and down-to-earth – less about textbook theory and more about how trauma-informed care shows up in the everyday moments, conversations, and interactions that shape life in our community.
Significance of the ACE Study
The training began with an overview of the ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) study, which continues to influence how we understand the long-term effects of adversity on development, health, behavior, and emotional functioning. (Note: Adversity as defined in the study includes physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, physical or emotional neglect, mother treated violently, household substance abuse or mental illness, parental divorce or separation, and an incarcerated family member.)
“Big T” Trauma and “Little t” Trauma
We explored the distinctions between “Big T” trauma and “little t” trauma, emphasizing that trauma is defined by its impact rather than the size or visibility of the event. Big T traumas involve overwhelming threat, life-altering experiences, or a clear sense of danger. These may include abuse, neglect, assault, severe accidents, natural disasters, war or acts of terrorism, sudden loss of a loved one, terminal illness, and institutionalization.
Little t traumas are often harder to recognize and have historically been less acknowledged as traumatic. These experiences are highly distressing but not necessarily life-threatening. Examples include poverty, relocation, homelessness or residential instability, discrimination, racism or gender bias, having a family member with a chronic substance use or mental health disorder, witnessing abuse, chronic social isolation, feeling different or unaccepted, bullying, pandemics, and economic recession.
Trauma’s Effects on Functioning
We then examined trauma’s effects on biological, emotional, and cognitive functioning. Using the Triune Brain model, we walked through how the nervous system processes stress and threat, why survival responses override reasoning and emotional regulation, and how trauma-driven reactions are adaptive rather than willful or oppositional. Understanding trauma through neurobiology helps shift the focus from behavior management to safety, regulation, and connection.
What Healing Requires
From there, the training centered on what healing requires in practice. We explored the core elements of trauma-informed care, including:
- Establishing emotional and physical safety
- Building social connectedness and a sense of community
- Supporting agency, autonomy, and life control
- Promoting meaningful engagement and contribution
- Reducing the risk of unintentional retraumatization (Note: Retraumatization refers to unintentionally triggering anxiety or activating a person’s fight/flight/freeze response. For example, someone with a history of physical abuse may feel threatened if we step into their personal space without permission, approach them from behind, or use touch to get their attention.
These components show up in policies, routines, tone, expectations, and relationships. Trauma-informed care becomes lived—not through singular interventions—but through culture, consistency, and the way people are treated throughout daily life. It is communicated in choice, in pacing, in dignity, and in the belief that people are capable of growth.
The training also emphasized resilience, not necessarily as an inherent trait, but as something that can be developed through safety, empowerment, connection, and supported identity. Trauma-informed work includes helping individuals rebuild trust in themselves, experience belonging, and influence the direction of their lives.
The Importance of Supporters’ Wellbeing
Because trauma-informed care depends on the wellbeing of those providing support, we dedicated time to burnout prevention and sustainable self-care. We touched on central nervous system awareness for helpers, healthy boundaries, peer support, and practices that maintain regulation throughout the workday. Self-care was framed not as a luxury, but as a necessity—when caregivers are depleted, the quality of care and connection inevitably shifts. Protecting staff wellbeing ultimately protects client wellbeing.
Trauma Informed Care at Hopewell
Even as a newer staff member, it was easy to see that the core philosophies of trauma-informed care are already deeply woven into Hopewell’s culture and practices. The emphasis on community living, shared responsibility, empowerment, meaningful participation, and respect aligns naturally with trauma-informed principles. Rather than introducing a new framework, the training helped reinforce and name what is already present—a foundation based on compassion, dignity, and collaborative healing.
Leading the training was a meaningful way to contribute while continuing to learn my place here. I left feeling grateful to be part of a community that truly embodies trauma-informed values—and excited to keep growing alongside a team that is committed to healing, resilience, and human-centered care.