5 Tips to Become a More Trauma-Responsive Organization

By: Zachary Barry, MSW

Start with Safety

It might sound cliché, but trauma-responsive organizations have to understand the difference between being safe and feeling safe. They are not the same thing.

Think about driving in a snowstorm. What’s the first thing you do? Hopefully you said slow down- though for some reason everyone always says turn down the radio, as if that will somehow help us see better. Then comes the rest: you grip the wheel at 10 and 2, lean forward in your seat, turn on the hazards, blast the defroster, and if it’s dark out, shut off the high beams so it doesn’t feel like you’re flying the Millennium Falcon.

From the outside, you’re being safe. But what’s happening on the inside? Your heart rate climbs, your vision narrows, sweat trickles down your forehead, and your knuckles turn white from gripping the wheel too tightly. Intrusive thoughts creep in. And if your partner or friend calls to say, “Relax, you’ve got this,” does it help? Usually not. Now think about how often we do the same with children or colleagues. We tell them to “calm down” or reassure them with words, but inside, they may be flooded with stress signals.

The truth is simple- for people to learn, they must first feel safe- not just be safe

Lean in by Listening

So many times, what we think is the problem isn’t really the problem at all. When we slow down and really listen, we discover what’s underneath someone’s words and behaviors.

But listening isn’t just about staying quiet while you plan what you’re going to say next- that’s just listening in disguise. Real listening means being fully present with the other person, riding the wave of the conversation, and asking intentional, curious questions that open the door to deeper understanding.

And here’s the key- what we say has to line up with how we say it. In trauma-responsive work, that’s true in moments of calm and even more important in times of chaos. Albert Mehrabian’s research reminds us that in emotional communication, 55% of meaning comes from facial expression, 38% from tone of voice, and only 7% from the actual words.

Simply put- talk less, listen more.

Invest in Relationships

Relationships are the foundation of any trauma-responsive organization. Just like the foundation of a house, they hold everything else up. The strength and quality of our relationships shape the culture, the climate, and the effectiveness of the interventions we use every day.

Stephen Covey put it best: “Relationships move at the speed of trust.” Trust doesn’t appear all at once it’s built slowly through small, everyday investments. A kind word, a moment of patience, showing up when it matters. These are the brick and mortar of belonging and attachment.

Over time, these connections deepen. And when they do, they become something more than just support- relationships become the very tool for change.

That’s why leaders can’t just invest in policies, programs, or new interventions- they need to invest just as much in the relationships among staff, between staff and young people, and with families.

When relationships are strong, everything else has a solid foundation to grow on.

Recognize Past Experience Influence the Present

Now, Imagine driving down a dirt road after a storm. The first cars cut deep ruts into the mud. When you drive on it later, your tires slip into those grooves. No matter how hard you try to steer out you keep falling back into the ruts. That’s what early experiences do to the brain- they carve ruts, patterns of how we expect the world to be and how we react under stress.

It’s not that people don’t want to steer differently- it’s that the road has already been shaped. The good news is that with time, safety, consistency and relationships, those ruts will soften out and have less pull.

Our behavior is shaped by the past, but new responses can be formed.

Commit to Reflective Practice

A really smart person once said that insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. And while that certainly is true, it’s not the full picture. We can try different approaches, experiment, and move ourselves in different directions and still see the same outcomes.

The real difference comes when we bring deliberate thought and intentionality to everything we do. Before we act, while we’re in the moment, and even after it’s over. It is how we engage with experiences that allows us to learn, adjust, and create meaningful change, rather than just aimlessly trying new things.

 Examine where your own tracks have brought you.