Resources From our Trauma Informed Leadership Series 

Beth Neu and Pete Singer partnered with MAC to provide a training for leaders seeking to integrate trauma-responsive practices into their organizational policies and procedures.

Beth and Pete presented a step-by-step plan for becoming a trauma-informed organization.

Presentation Description: A trauma-informed culture is set by leadership through how it shares responsibility, engages in transparent communications, sets policies and procedures, and supports employee wellness initiatives. Using the SAHMSA model as a framework, this workshop will take participants through a step-by step-plan to becoming a trauma-informed organization. This highly interactive workshop will explore what needs to be in place organizationally to create a trauma-informed culture and include a gap analysis so participants can determine how to structure their action plan. The intended audience for this workshop is managers, supervisors, and their teams.

Workshop Description: Human resource departments are essential in helping organizations make the shift to being trauma informed as seamless and normative as possible. Developing trauma-informed policies and procedures for both the hiring process as well as for employee retention and satisfaction requires intentionality. Once again using the SAHMSA model, this workshop will take human resource professionals, managers, and supervisors through an evaluation of their organization’s policies and procedures that have the most impact on candidate and employee well-being. The goal of this workshop will be to introduce new ways of thinking about traditional approaches to managing the new hire experience as well as employee performance and well-being. Participants are encouraged to bring their organization’s employee handbooks for review.

Presenter Bios:

Beth Neu, MHRM, is the manager of human resources and organizational effectiveness for YouthLink, which works with youth experiencing homelessness ages 16 to 23. Prior to that, Beth worked for Jeff Anderson and Associates, a law firm dedicated to justice for child sex abuse survivors. In both roles, Beth developed trauma-responsive policies and procedures to meet the needs of both the organizations and staff she supported in her human resources role.

Pete Singer is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker with 28 years experience in a variety of settings, including residential, home-based, and outpatient psychotherapy, schools, and management. His counseling practice focuses on children who have experienced trauma, and he trains and consults with legal, education, and health systems on development and implementation of trauma-informed practice.

Reading Nook

As part of the Trauma Informed Leadership Series, MAC staff read Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk.

About the Book

A longtime trauma worker, Laura van Dernoot Lipsky offers a deep and empathetic survey of the often-unrecognized toll taken on those working to make the world a better place. We may feel tired, cynical, or numb or like we can never do enough. These, and other symptoms, affect us individually and collectively, sapping the energy and effectiveness we so desperately need if we are to benefit humankind, other living things, and the planet itself. In Trauma Stewardship, we are called to meet these challenges in an intentional way—to keep from becoming overwhelmed by developing a quality of mindful presence. Joining the wisdom of ancient cultural traditions with modern psychological research, Lipsky offers a variety of simple and profound practices that will allow us to remake ourselves—and ultimately the world.