CMHA Ontario is leading the effort to ensure that its branch clinicians have the information and support necessary to ensure that their organizations are able to deliver comprehensive trauma-informed mental health and addictions care.
On September 20, 2018, more than 65 clinical leads from across CMHA Ontario branches met in Toronto to consider new information on how trauma is experienced, reflect on and discuss challenges to implementation, and plan next steps to ensure that organizations meet and exceed best practices in trauma-informed care.
The keynote address was by Dr. Lorl Haskell, a renowned clinician and leader in trauma research. Dr. Haskell discussed the clinical impact of trauma in early life and highlighted the benefits that come from clinicians’ understanding of how past traumatic experiences can cast a shadow on client recovery.
Other highlights from the day included panel presentations from clients and clinicians on how their organizations have successfully placed a trauma-informed lens on care delivery. The importance of having strong client representation on advisory boards, specifically clients who have lived experience with trauma, was also emphasized.
CMHA clinical leaders also discussed: common challenges they face in the implementation of trauma-informed programs; ways to improve trauma-informed service delivery; and, the need for a standardized provincial trauma-informed orientation approach.
For more information on the impact of trauma and trauma-informed care, please visit: http://www.ccsa.ca/Resource%20Library/CCSA-Trauma-informed-Care-Toolkit-2014-en.pdf