Embedding trauma informed practice in SEMH provision

The 3Cs Model

By Dr Leanne Johnson

Dr Leanne Johnson is Head of Trauma Informed Practice at Outcomes First Group (OFG), a specialist provider of education and care for autistic children, young people and adults and those with complex needs.

Understanding the impact of complex trauma on a child’s early development, their internal world and the subsequent survival strategies they develop, is crucial to responding to and supporting young people with social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) needs. It is vital to create an empathic and positive approach. By embedding

Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) we can help empower young people and those supporting them to understand how trauma has impacted them, and support recovery from early trauma to enable positive futures.

Developmental trauma impacts the individual on a relational, emotional and behavioural level, negatively impacting selfconcept and body biology. They may develop survival skills that push others away, as they have learnt they must survive and cope on their own, or be drawn to subconsciously reenacting their early trauma. Some feel emotions faster and more intensely and struggle to re-regulate. Their trauma therefore also impacts those closest to them.

Supporting colleagues to understand and mitigate the personal impact of working with trauma, is critical to creating a reflective and responsive therapeutic environment. It can require huge persistence to form positive and meaningful relationships with those with lived experience of trauma.

We embed reflective practice groups within teams and services, to provide protected time to ‘press the pause button together’. This enables us to recognise some of the complex relational processes, such as transference and countertransference, to help develop and protect a responsive, reflective and positive culture.

With the 3 Cs Model of Trauma Informed Practice, I aimed to create a simple and accessible TIP model to promote standardised practice across OFG’s 52 schools and residential provision. The training is accredited by the British Psychological Society (BPS) for the purposes of Continuing Professional Development.

The four day training begins with an introductory day providing a summary of TIP which includes: the impact on ourselves of working with trauma - secondary trauma, transference and counter transference; the impact of trauma on young people and how it presents in our services as well as the 3 C’s Model of TIP. The next stage of training is The Foundations of TIP, with a day each focussed on Connect, Co-Regulate and Co-Reflect.

Connect - reaching out to young people to enable them to feel ‘seen’ and kept in mind with an emphasis on repairing relationships in a non-shaming way

Co-Regulate - develops a sense of safety and supports young people to develop skills to respond to their emotions and behaviour

Co-Reflect - supports traumatised children to learn safe and effective ways of living their lives through integral therapeutic boundaries

Through Trauma Informed Practice we can meet and respond thoughtfully and empathically to a child or young person’s underlying need, rather than responding to their behaviour. By working in this way, we can help young people in their recovery from trauma.