Artifact Reflection

Trauma-informed care acknowledges the widespread impact of trauma, recognizes signs and symptoms in patients, families, and staff, and integrates knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices. This is done with the goal of providing person-centered care and to actively avoid re-traumatizing clients. During my Advanced Clinical Field Practicum in Spring 2022, I watched a webinar titled “Trauma Informed Care: What it Looks Like to be a Trauma Informed Agency” and read an article titled “Trauma-Informed Dementia Care.” The webinar reframed “problematic behaviors” using a trauma-informed lens, defined “trauma responsive” agency practices, and outlined the steps an agency can take to become more trauma informed. The article presented research on how the brain experiences trauma and how symptoms related to traumatic experiences can in someone with dementia.

I used the notes I took on the article and webinar to inform a discussion with the Long-Term Care Social Worker and an email to the Director of Nursing at The Bluffs about trauma-informed nursing home practices. This activity fulfilled my learning goal of exhibiting an anti-oppressive stance and incorporating social work values into my engagement with client systems. My artifact is an adapted version of the email I sent to the Director of Nursing. In my artifact, I summarize the article and webinar, evaluate our agency’s current policies and practices, and make recommendations about trauma-informed best practices. I chose this artifact because it shows my ability to research topics relevant to my practice and use that research as a lens for evaluating both an agency and my own practice. In creating this artifact, I demonstrated written communication skills and ethical social work behavior. Trauma-informed care resonates with me because it allows me to better empathize with clients and create judgment-free space by taking a person’s experiences into account when assessing their strengths, creating interventions, and evaluating their treatment progress. 

Demonstrated Social Work Competencies 

• Engage with individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
• Engage in practice-informed research and research-informed practice.
• Assess individuals, families, groups, organizations, and communities.
• Advance human rights and social, economic, and environmental justice.