On March 9, the DD Council partnered with the Sherlock Center, RIDE, DCYF and BHDDH to sponsor a one-day training on Trauma Informed Care.

We were fortunate enough to bring Joan Gillece, Ph.D., Director of SAMHSA National Center for Trauma Informed Care to RI to speak about trauma for people with developmental disabilities. In addition, Janice LeBel, Ph.D., ABPP, Director of Program Management, Child and Adolescent Services, Massachusetts Department of Mental Health spoke about the impact of trauma on the brain. Also featured was the Dan Habib film “Restraint and Seclusion: Hear Their Stories.”  Nearly 160 people attended, representing virtually every facet of care for adults and children with developmental disabilities.

The training emphasized the concept of “comfort instead of control” when treating people with a history of trauma. The day was focused on building “empathy with” rather than “sympathy for” traumatized individuals.

Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive, with many people expressing a desire to maintain the momentum and excitement of the day in their own practice. The DD Council supports further efforts to facilitate implementation of this crucial element of treatment for traumatized individuals. We will be exploring ways to make the Trauma Informed Care concepts available to all.

Wil Beaudoin, Chairperson
RI Developmental Disabilities Council (RIDDC)


The presenters have kindly provided the materials from their presentations:

SAMHSA’s Trauma-Informed Approach: Key Assumptions and Principles, Dr. Joan Gilles

PowerPointPDF

The Neurobiological & Psychological Effects of Trauma, Dr. Janice Le Bel

PowerPoint | PDF

Moving Forward: Building Bridges Towards Systems Transformation and Making Trauma-Informed Care Real, Dr. Janice Le Bel

PowerPoint | PDF

Please note: files are large and may take some time to download

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