Marketing Trauma-informed Design

Service Description

Target Skill Level: Basic TiD CEUs: 1 Presenters: Janet Roche and Christine Cowart Course Length: 1 hour We have recognized an avoidance or adverse reaction by some to the word “trauma.” We’ve had nurses tell us that they are experiencing burnout, but not “real trauma,” and then proceed to list all the ways in which their mental health and well-being has been affected. We’ve heard people say they’ve only experienced “little-t trauma,” as if there were levels of severity of trauma. (There’s not. According to the SAMHSA, “trauma results from an event, series of events, or set of circumstances experienced by an individual as physically or emotionally harmful or life-threatening with lasting adverse effects on the individual’s functioning and mental, physical, social, emotional, or spiritual well-being.”). We’ve had someone flat-out tell us that they weren’t comfortable including a segment on trauma-informed design in a program focused on the positive effects of beauty, nature, and fine design on people’s physical and emotional health—despite the fact that is the entire purpose of TiD. All this has led us to the realization that there’s resistance in some spheres to identify oneself or others as “traumatized,” perhaps because of an association to the concepts and images of hurt, being a victim, or damaged. While we hold fast to the word “trauma” in an attempt to destigmatize it, this offering will address the perception that only some specialized projects could benefit from TiD, and how this approach can be successfully marketed to clients, developers, and owners who may be wary of the term and its negative connotations.