How can community organizers prioritize the needs of trauma survivors?

I went to a seminar given by a retired medical doctor. She had great experience with people who had experienced trauma. She told us to converse and listen and then, at an appropriate moment, to ask the person what was the most important thing to them at that time. She said it often opened up what could be done to help and that it was not always obvious.

To prioritize the needs of trauma survivors, community organizers should educate themselves about trauma's varied causes and effects and adopt an inclusive approach that respects different individual and cultural experiences. They should focus on building support networks, including mental health services, and foster resilience and empowerment through various programs. Advocacy for policy changes to address systemic issues that contribute to trauma is crucial, alongside providing holistic support services like healthcare and housing. Collaboration with mental health professionals and experts is essential for effective strategies, and continuous feedback from the community is vital for adapting these strategies.

Worthy of mention are the family members of those who have experienced trauma. This should also include the community organizer. There are challenges that come with living with and caring for someone with PTSD. These challenges can ripple into secondary effects such as anxiety, stress, and depression. Healing is important for the entire family and an organized support group can provide a reprieve. Access the assistance of a PSS. Peer Support Specialists can offer a plethora of information, options, and solutions. The treatment delivery by a PSS can increase access to treatment in a low resource setting. Their intervention can help those affected learn to recognize their own strengths.

Establish a Change Team. Post a list of expectations or guidelines. Though based on voluntary involvement, set a score bar based on interest and values then implement a trauma-informed presentation. Those who are interested can take an assessment after the presentation. Scores that meet or beat the 'bar' receive a membership invite to join the Change Team. Provide a periodic training series with a discussion time at the end of each session.This is a time for the team to develop, share ideas, celebrations, as well as discuss grievances or conflicts. Utilize a voting system when setting new goals, addressing conflicts as well as encouraging activity ideas. Those not on the team make up the advisory group. IMPORTANTLY, every voice matters.

I went as a short-term missionary on a Wounded Warriors Retreat. There was a soldier that stayed to himself, skipping the activities and meetings. He would wave off saying he wasn't ready. I stationed myself daily at a corner post during the times of those meetings. The first day he came over, sat and spoke with me we seemed to make a connection. We each spoke briefly, admitting yes, we had experienced trauma, but that is far as we got that day. The next day I went and borrowed a side by side, driving to that corner post. He was there, face beaming with laughter when I pulled up saying,"Hop in, lessgo!" That became our hour each day for a week. He shared his dark day with me then; the day trauma set in. I shared with him a path to healing.