What is trauma informed?
How we birth matters. It matters to the mother, the baby, her family, and society at large. We are living in a crisis of trauma. Not only has our maternity services industry inflicted untold trauma on its customers through careless treatment, policy, procedure, and lack of education, our entire world has been traumatised by nonsensical and tyrannical measures to ensure our rights and freedoms were limited, our businesses and industries closed to favour a few oligarchs, and our families were brutalised through isolation and ideology. We are not ok.
The answer doesn’t lie in appealing to those institutions that have been corrupted but rather in turning to each other with new knowledge and new sills.
Becoming trauma informed is a deep exploration into the history and the present of maternity services, our interactions with it, our own vulnerabilities to trauma, and the vulnerabilities of our culture. It takes us on a journey of recognition, understanding, acceptance, and healing. At the same time it teaches new ways of interacting with ourselves, our loved ones, and the world. There is hope and healing for a traumatised person, her family, and her community.
What is trauma informed care?
Trauma informed care is simply a learned skillset of attitudes, communication, and behaviours that is as life-saving as hand washing in preventing death from infection.
Back in the 1800’s when Ignaz Semmelweis instituted hand washing at the maternity hospital in Hungary, maternal mortality decreased dramatically, up to 90% in some wards. Of course, he was ridiculed by the established elite and lost his position and died in an insane asylum.
Today, trauma informed care is likewise dismissed by the entrenched maternity services industry. Just as in Semmelweis’ day when the establishment didn’t believe ‘gentlemen’, that is, physicians, could carry germs, today’s establishment doesn’t believe that their services are causing harm, although trauma from childbirth can have dire and long-lasting consequences, including death.
Today, there is as much resistance to learning the skills of trauma-informed care as there was to hand washing back in Semmelweis’ day. And it’s just as critical to the survival of healthy families as hand washing was to the life of the birthing mother.
Trauma informed care is a universal precaution and should be mandatory for anyone who works with birthing clients. The maternity services industry isn’t interested, so it’s up to us. We can do better.
At its core, trauma informed care:
Realises that trauma impacts an individual, loved ones, and a community in multiple ways. It can induce a physical injury deep within the brain in the limbic system, meaning that memory, emotions, and arousal are impacted. It can change how they view themselves and the world around them. It can impact loved ones and change a community. And it can contribute to health changes that may be immediate or unfold over time.
Recognises the signs and symptoms of trauma in individuals, loved ones, communities, and themselves. The symptoms of trauma are the result of changes within the brain, changes in health, and changes in perception due to the experience of a traumatic event. Trauma creates an epigenetic imprint and can run through families and through entire communities such as those who were victims of colonisation, mandates and lockdowns, war, or displacement.
Responds with compassionate practices that understand that the individual has learned many survival and coping strategies over the years. Coping and survival strategies may appear “mal-adaptive” to the untrained eye. However, they represent the survivor’s resilience. Trauma-informed care builds on existing resilience to increase hope and wellness.
Prevents re-traumatisation through attention to cues and survival strategies; it knows the impact of secondary wounding and develops a thoughtful vocabulary to avoid it. It knows that many routines are triggering for survivors and develops new skills to deliver care that preserves the survivor’s dignity and honour.
“I enjoyed this course. It was very informative. The “Providing empathetic care” module was so beneficial to learn for work and personal life, it was as though I won the lottery in my heart. I hope everyone who takes this course becomes better humans in and outside the workplace. Every Health Care Provider should be required to take this course to improve clients’ health and overall satisfaction with the Ontario healthcare system Thank you so much for putting this together.”
— EUGENIA, GRADUATE
What is trauma?
Trauma is the result of events where the person feels threat of physical or psychological harm or neglect in the presence of helplessness that overwhelms their coping strategies. ~ Robert Scaer M.D
While trauma can be felt in every area of the sufferer’s life, it is primarily a brain injury. Structures deep within the limbic system are altered in both structure and function in response to a traumatising event. These alterations impact cognition, emotions, memory, arousal, and filter down into every part of the person’s life. Trauma can be felt in the body, in the mind, in the soul, and in the community.
Only the individual who experiences the event can determine if it was traumatic or not. They are the only one who knows if their coping strategies were overwhelmed through a filter of helplessness. They are the only ones who have experienced previous events that stretched and exhausted their coping strategies and resilience to the breaking point. What might seem as a textbook, non-eventful birth to the practitioner might be entirely life-altering to the one who experienced it. We cannot rely on observers or other participants to determine what the sufferer experienced.
A traumatic event might have happened just once, like witnessing a crime or living through a natural disaster. Or it may span over time, like childhood abuse or domestic violence. Sadly, sexual violence is one of the greatest contributors to trauma in women and gender-marginalised persons. The experience of routine care in childbirth can be overwhelmingly triggering for a survivor when they are expected to submit to tests, examinations, or procedures involving their sexuality.
Helplessness is experienced if the traumatising force - or person - has power over them. The experience may break their trust in themselves and others. It may leave them questioning the benevolence of systems that are meant to serve them, such as medical systems.
Trauma can leave long-lasting effects. It's not unusual for the survivor of trauma to have trouble sleeping, to always be 'on guard', to have trouble trusting others, to feel angry or sad or numb, and to have some health problems such as increased pain, headaches, digestive issues or obstetrical issues. Trauma can contribute to worsening health over time, relationship breakdowns, and an epigenetic imprint on children who may also experience compromised health.
Fortunately, the brain is plastic, meaning changeable, and trauma can heal with the right strategies.
“I found this course to be very holistic in how trauma unfolds. The course brought to light many past experiences that I didn’t realize were traumatic. Now that I know these areas exist I can work at these areas and improve my life. If I can work through my own trauma then I can be more present for my marriage, children and other relationships in life.”
— MELISSA, GRADUATE
Who needs to be trauma informed?
Everyone!
mothers and fathers whose babies arrived in a traumatic birth
grandmothers and grandfathers and loved ones
pastors
advocates
life coaches, librarians
physiotherapists, chiropractors, naturopaths, osteopaths, massage therapists, acupuncturists
dieticians, nutritionists
social workers, therapists, counsellors, human resources
teachers, professors
doulas, childbirth educators
midwives, nurses, physicians, PSWs, traditional birth companions
administrators
If this sounds like you, Becoming Trauma Informed is right for you.
Becoming Trauma Informed
Trauma informed care is a learned skillset that includes attitudes, communication, and behaviours that not only prevents and heals trauma in the recipient of this care, but also in the one who provides it.
Becoming trauma informed is a “universal precaution”, meaning everyone should know and use these skills as it saves lives. Becoming trauma informed can help break through past trauma, generational cycles of trauma, historical and cultural trauma, and facilitate resilience-based healing that not only equips parents for the journey ahead but also helps embark them on a healing path that can change the epigenetics of them and their children. It's one of the most basic skills needed for maternity care and one of the most neglected.
What makes this course different?
It’s for everyone
There are no prerequisites and you don’t need to be a professional. This course was written with the maternity professional in mind, but in the end, it’s up to us. We can do better ourselves.
Fully online and interactive
The course is hosted in a private proprietary network that is free from observation and censorship. You can access the course through the website on your computer or by accessing it through an app on your devices. You can study anywhere, anytime.
Each month we have a live tutorial to provide more learning opportunities. You can ask questions during these tutorials and share experiences. These tutorials are recorded so you can watch them and rewatch them whenever it’s best for you.
We also have a monthly online study hall for students to come and meet together to work through course material, discuss the live tutorial, and to share experiences that have impacted them and their work.
Comprehensive
This course takes a deep dive into the causes and the solutions of birth-related trauma offering 65 professional education hours. You’ll learn from 93 topics taught over 9 learning modules backed by over 400 academic references.
In addition to extensive fully researched content, there are
monthly live tutorials hosted right in the course
monthly live study halls where participants connect on zoom to discuss tutorials, course content, and experiences in trauma-informed care
40 additional learning videos and podcasts
50 additional online reading resources
downloads for your personal and professional use
16 self-care breaks
25 opportunities for reflection and professional growth
15 exercises to build your resources library for use with clients
You'll learn the different categories of trauma along with the signs and symptoms that your client or loved one may be suffering. You'll learn why 'mal-adaptive' behaviours are actually 'adaptive' behaviours and how to approach your client or loved one from a resilience-based perspective that affirms their coping strategies and builds on their ability to navigate and survive with growing wellness.
You'll learn what defines a traumatic birth and those specific elements that contribute to it so you know exactly what you're looking for, what you're avoiding, and how you'll be approaching your clients.
You'll learn specific trauma-informed practices that not only protect your client, but protect YOU. You will experience greater clinical accuracy, greater client participation in their health programme, and greater job satisfaction with less burnout.
You will be introduced to several evidence-based healing modalities that can help you to recover from primary or secondary trauma, as well as to help guide your clients or loved ones onto a more effective path of recovery.
Research-based
Fortunately, we don’t need to guess about birth-related trauma and trauma-informed care. There is a tremendous amount of research that has informed and shaped this course. This course is backed by over 400 academic references that come from multiple disciplines, including:
medical, nursing, and midwifery research
psychology
sociology
nutrition science
military research
genetics and epigenetics
epidemeology
complementary and alternative medicine
Collaborative
The course is offered in a sensitive and collaborative learning environment. Participants are invited to ask questions, share reflections, post their assignments for others to learn from, debrief experiences together, and engage in healing and wellness challenges. It’s a journey of learning new skills, letting go of old perspectives, and finding a new supportive community that cares about your success and wellbeing.
Self-paced
You can get started as soon as you register! Log in, set up your profile, perhaps introduce yourself, and get started. From there, it’s up to you how many hours a week you have to devote to this learning. You can go full-on, take a break, pace yourself, or work with a study-buddy. You’ll have access to course calendars that meet your completion goals to help you stay on track.
All throughout the course there are numerous opportunities to connect with fellow learners to ask questions, share new insights, offer tips that are working for you, and support one another. We have specific topics devoted to nurses, midwives, doulas, and complementary health professionals. You'll find sections where you can unpack a traumatic experience, look for support or mentoring through a challenging situation, or share what's working for you as you recover from primary or vicarious trauma.
This is a research based approach to understanding the causes and cures for birth-related trauma wrapped inside a collaborative, interactive, and supportive community that cares about you and getting you the results you need.
“I feel this course offered flexibility with assignments and working at your own pace. It was very informative and something everyone would benefit in taking. This course will enhance one’s skills when interacting with clients.”
— CINDY, GRADUATE
Course Syllabus
DEFINING A TRAUMATIC BIRTH EXPERIENCE
Content Caution
Course Goals
Language
Keeping a Reflective Journal
Preparing a Resources Folder
Historical Perspective
Trauma: A Matter of Perception
POSTPARTUM POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER
Trauma and the DSM-V
Symptoms of Trauma
Triggers
Partner Trauma
Defining the Mother's Experience
Secondary Wounding
Screening Tools
EFFECTS OF TRAUMA
Loss of Identity
Loss of Skills
Loss of Trust
Relationship Problems and Effects on Partners
Child Abuse and Neglect
Breastfeeding Failure or Success
Loss of Sexual Interest
Sleep Disturbances
Health Problems
Changes in Brain Structure and Function
Future Obstetric Problems
Suicide
RISK FACTORS FOR TRAUMA
Being Female
A Mother with PTSD
Lacking a Support System
Cross Cultural Considerations
Adverse Childhood Experiences
Experiencing Intense or Long-Lasting Trauma
History of Abuse
Birth Anxiety
Other Medical Conditions
Nutritional Deficits
FACILITY-BASED ABUSE AND OBSTETRIC VIOLENCE
Defining Obstetric Violence
Identifying Obstetric Violence
Medicalisation of Birth
Racism in Health Care Services
Informed Consent
Expecting a Negative Experience
Issues in Obstetric Violence
Trauma in Care Providers
Roadblocks to Change
Moral Courage
Agents of Change
NUTRITION FOR THE TRAUMA-INJURED BRAIN
Fats
Carbohydrates
Proteins
Vitamins and Minerals
Gut Flora
Food Security and Social Disparities
HEALING STRATEGIES
Options Available
Peer Support
Trauma Narratives and Narrative Therapy
Identifying Triggers
Redefining Boundaries
Oxytocin
Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing
Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Cross Cultural Considerations
Pelvic Floor Physiotherapy
Improving Sleep
Yoga
Art Therapy
Music Therapy
Prayer and Meditation
Emerging From the Darkness
TRAUMA INFORMED FOR THE PROFESSIONAL
Trauma Basics
Trauma Informed Principles
Applying Trauma Informed Principles in the Labour Ward
Safety
The Birth Plan
Arrival at the Delivery Ward
Consent & Declining Care
Trustworthiness & Transparency
Peer Support & Mutual Self-Help
Collaboration & Mutuality
Empowerment, Voice, & Choice
Cultural, Historical & Gender Issues
Physician Burnout
Midwife Burnout
Nurse Burnout
Organisational Strategies to Reduce Burnout
Doula Burnout
Resilience Training
Providing Empathetic Care
Trauma-Informed NICU
The Trauma-Informed Doula
BIRTHING AFTER TRAUMA
Unassisted Childbirth
Post-Traumatic Growth Through Childbirth
Preparing for Birth - The Reality
Conclusion
FAQs
How long is the course?
This course provides 65 professional education hours. Investing 5-10 hours a week on course content and assignments, you can expect to complete this course in 2-4 months. It’s entirely self-paced and up to you how much time you have to invest and when you would like to complete it.
How much does it cost?
The cost includes everything with no additional or hidden fees:
$788 CAD
$625 USD
$856 AUD
€550 EURO
*Note: This course is automatically available to those women who are learning to become a traditional birth companion.
Are there any prerequisites?
There are no prerequisites. This course was written with the birth professional in mind. It may include technical language unfamiliar to the lay person but will not detract from the overall content and importance of this information. Any time you need help with a topic, just ask! It’s a collaborative learning environment where we’re all here to see each other succeed.
What if I decide this course isn’t for me?
You can request a refund within 24 hours of registration. You will be removed from the course and your investment will be refunded less a $50 USD administrative fee. After 24 hours there is no refund. The course cannot be transferred to another person.
Will I get a certificate?
Yes. You’ll need to meet the course requirements for completion and when you’re ready, you can submit a request for a Certificate of Completion along with your final graduation assignment. Your final submission will be reviewed and if successful, you’ll be granted your Certificate and a badge you can display on your websites and other branding.
What are the requirements for completion?
You’ll need to read through all the information as well as additional videos and links. It’s suggested that you participate in some of the discussions after assignments or post some of your completed assignments to get the most out of your learning experience.
When you are ready, there is a Graduation Assignment to download and complete. This assignment consists of 4 questions that require thoughtful and reflective answers. Your answers will demonstrate your understanding of the course material and the skills you have developed as a result.
Can I count the course hours towards my Continuing Professional Development requirements?
This course comprises 85 (60 minute) continuing professional development hours (CPD), sometimes called 'points', 'credits', or ‘CEU’s’. Most midwifery, doula, and other professions' governing colleges or registration boards do not require that these hours be accredited by any particular organisation. Rather, the professional is required to record these educational hours and be able to provide proof of enrolment and completion. Please check with your profession's governing body in your country for information specific to you.
Where is the course hosted?
The course is hosted in a private network The Harrigan Hive. You can join the network for free to learn more. The course is private and only accessible to those who have registered for the course or are learning to become a traditional birth companion with Billie.
I’m not in North America, is this for me?
Yes! This course was written from an international perspective and has been taught to students on 4 continents (so far). It draws from research conducted in multiple countries, and considers cultural influences, disparities based on ethnicity, religion, and economics, and how the export of European-centric obstetrics has impacted birth outcomes worldwide.
How do I get started?
Click on the link below and get started today!