Fostering a Trauma- and Violence-Informed Community: Developing Strategies to Inform Public Education
Abstract
Trauma and violence are pervasive public health issues. Social and systemic barriers can intensify these experiences and negatively impact access to health and social services. A key element of equity-oriented healthcare, trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) promotes the emotional, physical, and cultural safety of service recipients. This thesis extends ongoing work to enhance organizational implementation of TVIC. In collaboration with Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) Middlesex, semi-structured interviews and a document review were employed to investigate how to frame and share TVIC information with the public and individuals accessing services, and to illuminate what barriers and facilitators may impact this process. Findings suggest efforts to cultivate a TVI-community may be integrally linked to various social, systemic, and structural factors that perpetuate fear, shame, stigma, and prejudice. Leveraging existing organizational efforts, and creative and collaborative engagement strategies, could help re-construct the social and structural landscape that perpetuates the experience of trauma and violence.