What do we mean by trauma?
Published:
Dr. Danny Taggart shares two definitions of trauma from the psychologists Peter Sedgwick and Bessel van der Kolk and examines the implications of these definitions for social care practice.
Dr. Danny Taggart shares two definitions of trauma from the psychologists Peter Sedgwick and Bessel van der Kolk and examines the implications of these definitions for social care practice.
Talking Points
In this video, Dr Taggart:
- Explores two definitions of what it means to experience and live with trauma.
- Advocates for practitioners to seek to understand how trauma impacts the way young people see themselves and the world around them.
- Shares reflective questions to consider when working with young people who have experienced trauma, to support effective practice.
Reflective questions
Here are reflective questions to stimulate conversation and support practice.
- Take a few minutes to consider a young person that you work with now, or have done in the past, through the lens of trauma. What hidden impacts do you think trauma was having on them, and on your working relationship with them? How might these definitions help you to understand the ongoing impact of trauma?
- How could you use this understanding of trauma to find effective ways to engage with young people affected by trauma?
Professional Standards
PQS:KSS - Relationships and effective direct work | Promote and govern excellent practice
PCF - Intervention and skills
What does trauma-informed care look like?
Dr. Danny Taggart explains what trauma-informed care might look like to children and young people with lived experience of trauma.
What is the impact of trauma?
Dr. Danny Taggart describes the effect that trauma has on children and young people and what practitioners should bear in mind when working with them.
References
- Seager, C., & Wilkinson, G. (1982). Psycho Politics. By Peter Sedgwick. London: Pluto Press. 1982. Pp 292. The British Journal of Psychiatry, 141(3), 327-327.
- Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: Mind, brain and body in the transformation of trauma. Penguin UK.