Back to Product & Resources listing
Desk Guide: A comprehensive response to socio-cultural trauma in children & families
September 24, 2021
Great Lakes MHTTC
The letters M and P written in white on a yellowish orange background square.
Medical Professional (Physician, Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant)
Mental Health Professional Target Audience Icon
Mental Health Professional (Social Worker, Psychologist, Counselor, MFT)
The letters C and J and P written in white on a dark brown background square.
Criminal Justice Professional
The letters "A" and "C" written in white on a dark blue background square with rounded corners.
Addictions Counselor
The letters E and D and U written in white on a green background square.
Educator

Desk Guide: TraumaSocio-cultural trauma is a form of trauma that is not often talked about yet experienced daily by marginalized and oppressed people. The impact of toxic stress on people living with unresolved trauma has been observed to trigger a trauma response of either fight, flight, or freeze. In people of color (BIPOC), these responses have often been mislabeled as defiant rather than protective, oppositional rather than guarded, disinterested but more accurately assessed as emotionally numb. Among mental health providers, awareness of socio-cultural trauma is vital, and treatments must be based on a comprehensive, culturally responsive, trauma-informed approach for individuals, families, and children.

This guide was created with funding from the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and is based on material presented by Patricia Parker and Dawn Shelton-Williams on May 18, 2021.

WAFCA logoWAFCA serves as the Wisconsin partner for the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center.