Understanding Trauma
This video series takes a deeper dive into what trauma is and its effects on our communities. We spoke with local leaders and Trauma Matters Omaha partners to share their perspectives — from first responders and medical professionals to educators and beyond.
Building a Trauma-informed Community
When we as a community can respond to those who have experienced trauma with compassion and sensitivity, we break the cycle of violence and facilitate healthy healing. Together, we can build a resilient Omaha.
Trauma Matters to Healthcare
Anything that is adversely affecting anybody can be trauma. Trauma-informed care can transform the caregiving experience so that people are not traumatized or re-traumatized by the experience.
Trauma Matters to Education
Trauma-informed care allows educators to recognize when trauma is present. Schools can then help give teachers, students and families an understanding of what trauma is, along with strategies on how to support those students and families who have been affected by trauma.
Trauma Matters to Child Welfare
Trauma looks different for every person — and impacts them in different ways. Working together with a trauma-informed lens, individuals at all levels of the child welfare system can better help the children, youth and families in their care heal from trauma.
Trauma Matters to Juvenile Justice
Trauma-informed care gives our community the opportunity to look at problems in a different way. It’s asking “what happened to you” instead of “what’s wrong with you.”
This way, the services offered to those in the juvenile justice system and the way their cases are handled are driven by the understanding that the individual has been traumatized in some way.
Trauma Matters to First Responders
Often, approaching others with a trauma-informed mindset means putting yourself in their shoes. For first responders, that means providing a safe space for victims of traumatic events to tell their story and meeting them where they’re at.
First responders need trauma-informed care too, as it’s common for them to internalize and carry the trauma they witness on a daily basis.
Hand Model of the Brain
If you put your thumb in the middle of your palm and then curl your fingers over the top, you’ll have a pretty handy model of the brain. This simple visual, as originally explained by Dr. Daniel Siegel, demonstrates what goes on in our heads when faced with different situations.
Understanding how the brain works can help us respond in trauma-sensitive ways to those who have been impacted by trauma or are being triggered.
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