Trauma.
It affects everyone, and impacts nearly all facets of every community. But with the right steps, trauma can be treated and even prevented.
That was the message at this year’s Bridges to Resilience conference in Buellton on Oct. 11, the third annual event of its kind in Santa Barbara County.
At the event, which was sponsored by numerous local mental health-focused organizations from throughout the county, more than 300 representatives and community members from varying sectors were able to come together to learn about providing trauma-informed care.
“The idea is that we want people to know more about what other people are doing to kind of unify our approach to how we are helping heal our community,” said Barbara Finch, Children and Adult Network director with the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services. “We have a vision of creating a resilient community, and this is a day where people can come and feel like they’re not in it alone.”
Community members–ranging from educators and social workers to child welfare specialists and probation officers–attended the daylong event, which focused on ways to treat and prevent trauma in youth.
Trauma, Finch said, can stem from any life event, and it adversely impacts individuals in all socioeconomic levels. Trauma and its impacts have become a focal point in Santa Barbara County in recent years, which Finch said is likely due to upticks in school violence, natural disasters, and poverty.
“So if we understand the impacts that has on people, including children,” Finch said, “then we can shift how we’re doing things to better meet the needs of those kids.”
While in past years, presenters at Bridges to Resilience focused more on trauma itself, this year’s event put a spotlight on resilience, the ability to make normal developmental achievements despite having experienced trauma and social barriers.
Melissa Morgan Consoli, a researcher at UC Santa Barbara who’s working to find strategies that better help people overcome adverse experiences, said in her presentation at the conference that culture plays a key role in trauma prevention and treatment. Consideration for culture can help professionals more clearly identify the causes of a person’s trauma and the tools that might help that person overcome.
Consoli, whose research mostly focuses on the Latino community, said that while many Latinos face numerous social and environmental barriers–difficulty with the immigration process, racism and discrimination, language, and economic hardship are some of the most common–they often continue to prosper.
Through research, Consoli said key characteristics of Latino culture have been identified as “protective factors” that help those who’ve experienced trauma heal. Strong religious and spiritual faith, family support, an emphasis on respect and loyalty, ethnic pride, and acculturation, are all pieces of Latino culture that Consoli said typically help individuals thrive despite adverse experiences.
In treating and preventing trauma, Consoli said it’s best to focus on cultural–and personal–strengths, rather than problems and weaknesses. And, Consoli said, when working with youth, it’s critical to hear from actual kids.
Anna Martinez, a student at Delta High School and youth panelist at the Bridges to Resilience conference, said honest communication is essential to building trusting relationships with struggling youth.
“I think that adults should stop sugar coating things for kids and tell them straight up how things are,” Martinez said. “We won’t listen if you sugar coat everything.”
Martinez said she doesn’t like to be left in the dark about having to move, change schools, or group homes. Even when she’s bothering someone or acting out, she likes to know that she’s crossed the line. That open and honest dialogue is what she said she loves about her mom and Fighting Back Santa Maria Valley, her two biggest support systems.
“I think that we want to know what’s going on,” Martinez said.
Staff Writer Kasey Bubnash writes School Scene each week. Information can be sent to the Sun via mail, fax, or email at mail@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 18-25, 2018.
