Welcome to Trauma Talks 2014:

Advancing Cultural Understandings in Trauma-Informed Care

May 30^th, 2014

“Twenty-first century models (of cultural competence) acknowledge that each of us are human beings with multiple different locations of identity and no requirement that we make people check one box. These models emphasize the intersectionality of identities, the ways in which our identities blend with one another, in ways that aren’t necessarily apparent to the provider with whom we are interacting or necessarily apparent to the clients or patients with whom we as providers interact. 

Knowing that human beings are multiple in our identities, and that those identities are intersectional is foundational to cultural competence and not sufficient. Why is this? Because this only speaks to intellectual competence and I would argue that cultural competence is emotional competence. How do we hold the ambiguity of our own and our clients’ identities? How do we embrace the reality that we have bias because we are human? How do we allow ourselves to notice in a mindful and compassionate manner the realities of our ignorance, our privilege, our bias, our humanity? And, how do we commit to practice culturally competent, trauma-informed care with all clients, not only alien others? Doing trauma-informed care should occur whether or not we think the person is a trauma survivor because trauma-informed and culturally competent care means good quality, compassionate, empathic, and attuned care.”
– excerpt from Dr. Laura Brown’s keynote address at Trauma Talks 2012

Join us as we continue to dialogue with experts in psychological trauma, medicine and mental health as we consider how culture may impact reactions to trauma and affect help-seeking behaviour, the challenges this poses for effective care delivery, and how to integrate cultural understandings into trauma-informed practice.

Keynote Speakers:

Cécile Rousseau, MD
Suzanne Stewart, PhD, C.Psych

Workshop Presenters:

Lisa Andermann, MPhil, MD, FRCPC & Teresa Dremetsikas, MD
Neil Arya, MD & Josephine McMurray, RT, MBA, PhD
Pat Durish, MSW, RSW, PhD
Alexandra Heber, MD, FRCPC
Meb Rashid, MD