Directions: Our conversation on colonial and intergenerational trauma this week centres on the external forces that impose structural, political, and interpersonal violence on Indigenous peoples. In previous weeks we have discussed how this has occurred via policy and legislation.
In your forum posting this week, I would like you to consider the role of the health sector in centering trauma-informed care. How would you define trauma-informed care? What might the role of health care practitioners look like in supporting Indigenous patients with “complex, continuous, collective, cumulative, and compounding forms of colonial trauma” (Mitchel et al. 2019)? Are there any barriers that practitioners or policy-makers might face in centering trauma-informed care as an ethic of practice in health settings? Or, if you have seen an example of the ethic of trauma-informed care in practice, please share with your peers how you thought it was successful or could be improved.
The readings and links please limit your answer to under 500 words and respond to at least one other student comments.
Readings Required: Mitchell, T.; Arseneau, C.; & Thomas, D. (2019). Colonial Trauma: Complex, continuous, collective, cumulative and compounding effects on the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada and beyond. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 14 (2), 74–94. DOI 10.32799/ijih.v14i2.32251
Required: Aguiar, W. & Halseth, R. (2015). Aboriginal peoples and historic trauma: the process of intergenerational transmission. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health. https://www.ccnsa-nccah.ca/docs/context/RPT-HistoricTrauma-IntergenTransmission-Ag uiar-Halseth-EN.pdf
Reponses to Student As a future social worker who will be working within the healthcare system, I believe it is crucial that I identify and understand what it means to work with Indigenous people from a trauma-informed care stance. I would define trauma-informed care as a framework that is based on having knowledge and understanding of how trauma has affected and continues to effect, Indigenous people’s lives and the ways in which they receive help from service providers. Some concepts that are centered around trauma-informed care are understanding what trauma is, recognizing the ways trauma effects each person differently, and how the service user and provider respond to the trauma and the help.
As an employee of the healthcare system, I have seen first-hand how Indigenous people are treated within healthcare and the ways in which they are systematically pushed through the healthcare system that leaves major gaps in the trust, care, and compassion
that healthcare workers should be providing their patients. I believe that one of the major factors in the roles of healthcare professionals should be to allow our patients to have a say in their care. Upon meeting our patients, we need to allow them to feel safe in their surroundings, be able to ask questions, and be allowed to say what they are comfortable with or where they comfort level ends. We need to understand that racism is prevalent in today’s society, whether we agree or disagree, racism is upon us. Indigenous people’s fears are not heard, and the reality of their care is the “get them in and get them out” mentality. Not all the time, but very often, when an Indigenous person enters an emergency department, they are flagged as a “drug seeker” before anyone even speaks to them. With this mentality, the ways in which Indigenous people are supported in healthcare will never change.
As Mitchel et al. (2019) states, there are many terms used to characterize the enduring trauma of Indigenous peoples; historical trauma, collective trauma, post-traumatic stress, intergenerational trauma, historical loss, post-traumatic stress response, colonial trauma, and colonial injury. Barriers that could arise when centering care around trauma-informed care are, service users not aware or acknowledging past traumas, avoiding asking certain question and allowing clients to disclose personal trauma, clients not wanting to disclose personal trauma that could affect the outcome of care, limited resources and knowledge from both the service user and provider, and any ongoing or lasting conflicts that may arise within the circle of care. The trauma that is affecting people today has been ongoing pain that stems from 5 centuries of intergenerational trauma lived through many family units. Ignoring the root causes and ability to work from past trauma will dramatically effect trauma-informed care practices.
Reference
Mitchell, T.; Arseneau, C.; & Thomas, D. (2019). Colonial Trauma: Complex, continuous, collective, cumulative and compounding effects on the health of Indigenous peoples in Canada and beyond. International Journal of Indigenous Health, 14 (2), 74–94. DOI 10.32799/ijih.v14i2.32251
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