Warren Coalition’s Trauma-Informed Training: “A gift to the community”

Over the past few decades, awareness of the impact childhood trauma has on the rest of a person’s life has grown. It is now an accepted fact that 62% of all adults have experienced at least one Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE), and these traumatic events can have a lifelong impact on a person’s mental and physical health, thereby also affecting their family and their community. Experiencing ACEs can even increase the likelihood of a person misusing drugs or alcohol later in life.

In light of this understanding, the leaders of the local prevention agencies that make up the Northwestern Prevention Collaborative recognized that they needed to help build awareness and resilience in the Northwestern Shenandoah Valley. In Warren County, Warren Coalition Executive Director Christa Shifflett decided to offer a “Trauma-Informed” course based on the CRI (Community Resource Initiative) curriculum. To become “Trauma-Informed” is to develop an understanding of “the impact of stress on our individual and community health, so that we can interrupt the cycle of punishment, shame, blame, and humiliation, shifting instead to positive intent, insight, empathy, compassion, and love,” writes CRI Founder and Board President, Teresa Barila.

The trauma-informed class explores the science of trauma’s impact on the brain, along with epigenetic, community, and cultural influences. It provides attendees with a deeper understanding of their own triggers in life, as well as how to handle those triggers. It offers guidance on how to speak and work with others who have experienced trauma. Beyond that, the course empowers attendees so that they can be a source of strength and light to others in their community.

Shifflett first offered the Trauma-Informed Training class in August 2020, and the response was immediate and enthusiastic. She has already trained approximately 100 people in just three class offerings. Although this free course is intended for residents of the Northern Shenandoah Valley, it is capturing international attention; attendees signed into the virtual class from places as far away as California and even Nepal. The response to the December class was so overwhelming, in fact, that Shifflett decided to place a limit of 25 people on subsequent offerings, to help facilitate discussion.

The post-attendance comments are just as encouraging as the attendance numbers. “Thanks for such a great training.  It really helped me understand the importance of addressing my own struggles before trying to help others with theirs,” one person said in an email to Shifflett. Another wrote in, “It definitely provided me with more tools in my toolbox to use with the population I work with.” In a follow-up survey, one respondent wrote, “This type of offering is a gift to our community. I very much appreciate that it was offered.”

Classes begin again in February, with two opportunities to take Trauma-Informed (Course 1): Tuesday mornings from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, February 9, 16, and 23, and Thursday evenings from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm, February 11, 18, and 25. All three sessions of a course must be completed to receive the trauma-informed certification. Email Shifflett at Christa@WarrenCoalition.org to register.