When we experience repetitive stress injuries, we never question the idea to see a physical therapist to rehabilitate and strengthen that part of our body. But what about repetitive psychological stress... and how might we address this when it's happening in our organizations and within the communities we serve?

Professional caregiving is inherently stressful. Though not always "traumatizing," it impacts one's well-being over time, and may express itself similar to trauma if it goes unattended. And both health staff and clients are still recovering from and continue to endure the repeated stresses of a post-pandemic world and polarized social climate while navigating hypersonic technological change.

If health systems are to create healing, they need to have the capacity to co-regulate, metabolize, and adapt to emergent changes in the internal and external environments.

Becoming "trauma-informed" is trendy. Many organizations tackle it by offering one-off trainings or developing trauma-specific interventions to meet clients' needs. This reasoning comes from a logical and compassionate place. But through our years of experience in social service, healthcare, first responder, and public health environments, we've realized it falls short in truly cultivating a trauma-informed and -responsive organization.

Humaniterra embodies a unique approach to trauma-informed organizational transformation. We know it is not only the lived experience of clients that impacts interactions and outcomes, but the dynamic interaction of the lived experiences of both clients and staff.

Instead of training staff to respond to a specific situation or scenario in a particular way (rigid framework and training approach), Humaniterra's secret sauce is to build the resilience and stability of your organization's collective nervous system. We do this by facilitating individual self-reflection, reflective group dialogue, and somatic practices and safe-to-try scenario play to begin embodying a new way of regulating and relating. We also cultivate an emergence orientation—the awareness of and ability to respond to what is happening in the environment.

Your organization will emerge not only with an increased awareness about the specific mechanisms and processes of trauma, but also having developed the organizational building blocks of safety, connection, emotional regulation, and compassion. You'll gain the organizational musculature to adapt and respond to whatever arises—and become a place where staff can flourish and gracefully rise to the challenges your clients and communities are experiencing.