CPHSSWCE0454 - Collective Trauma, Resilience and Community Practice

Course Description

Trauma is typically defined as an event that, whether experienced or witnessed, overwhelms an individual’s coping capacities. Trauma-informed interventions address the harm done to social, psychological, and emotional development, identify stressors that can re-trigger trauma, and provide safe healing environments. These approaches, however, focus on individuals and families. With greater understanding of trauma as a systemic phenomenon affecting large groups and communities, interventions need to become more collective in scope. This workshop will focus on reasons for and elements of a trauma-informed approach to community practice. Emphasis will be on community-driven interventions that promote and reflect collective resilience. Linkages between anti-oppressive macro social work practice and trauma-informed community interventions will be delineated. Case studies that illustrate the impact of collective trauma on communities, as well as responses that demonstrate collective resilience, will be used.  

Target Level Audience:  Intermediate

Course Outline

Learner Outcomes

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:  

• Identify the elements and impact of community trauma; 
• Identify examples of collective resilience in response to community trauma; and 
• Use principles to trauma-informed practice and collective resilience to develop a trauma-informed approach to community practice. 

When participants return to the workplace, they will be able to:  

• Identify ways in which their organizational practices can be adapted to trauma-informed community practice; and 
• Identify and support community-led efforts to address community trauma through collective resilience.