Working Effectively with Traumatised Clients and Families – A Trauma-Informed Care Approach

This two-day experiential course is designed to equip participants with essential knowledge and practical skills in trauma-informed interventions for working with individuals and families affected by trauma.

Participants will explore the foundational principles of trauma, the goals of trauma therapy, and the importance of ethical and safe practices. The course integrates key theories, current literature, and evidence-informed approaches, with hands-on opportunities to apply these concepts to case scenarios. Through reflective learning and practical exercises, learners will develop greater awareness of the stance needed and competencies required for trauma work, understand the potential personal impact of engaging with traumatised clients, and acquire strategies to mitigate negative effects while fostering post-traumatic growth.

• Introduction to training
• What is trauma
• Types of trauma (developmental acute, chronic, complex, PTSD)
• What is trauma impact of brain, body and behaviours
• signs of trauma and symptoms of trauma in clients
• Goals of trauma work
• Trauma theories – neurobiology and embodiment / somatic, attachment
• emerging trauma literature
• Safe trauma practice and ethics
• How people respond to trauma (animal – fight, flee and freeze)
• trauma history screening and assessment protocols
• Trauma-informed and trauma responsive systems  and care – 6 principles
• Trauma sensitive case management
• Stages of trauma interventions- safety and stabilisation, trauma narrative and trauma integration / resolution / restoration
• Evidence based trauma treatment / modalities and goals –
• TFCBT
• Somatic trauma therapy
• Expressive therapies
• Mindfulness based intervention (Yoke Wen’s segment)
• Practice – skills: grounding, boundaries setting, safe interruption for flashbacks, titration and managing imagery, regulation and co-regulation, orienting, tracking, precision regulation (Babette’s chart), mindfulness based approach and somatic exercises
• Case Practice on trauma assessment, case planning and intervention
• Competency of an effective trauma informed practitioner
• Self of the work and care of the professional – trauma informed supervision; vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue, secondary traumatic stress, burnout, post traumatic growth and vicarious growth

By the end of this course, learners will be able to:

• Explain the impact of trauma, the principles and goals of trauma therapy
• Explain what is safe and ethical trauma therapy
• Illustrate use of theories in assessing trauma in clients
• Articulate the evidence-based intervention modalities
• Prepare case plans for intervention with traumatised clients and families

This training is ideal for helping professionals and emergency workers who provide front line services to support people who have experienced trauma. This includes counsellors, social workers, psychotherapists, counselling and psychotherapy students, individuals working in caring professions e.g pastoral workers.

Ms Yoges Munisamy is an experienced clinician, supervisor and trainer in the areas of supervision, trauma, care and resilience of the professional and in working with vulnerable children, youth and families. She is a PHD candidate at NUS and is studying trauma-informed supervision and its impact on secondary traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. Yoges’s work experience involves being a SPSW in MSF, PSW in an FSC and Australian child protection. She lectures part-time in NUS SW department. Yoges has provided individual, group and SOSp groups for practitioners in Singapore and overseas in the statutory, community and hospital settings. Yoges received OSWA in 2013.

Ms Pei Ni is a seasoned social work practitioner with almost 2 decades of experience. She is a Director with Allkin Singapore where she oversees services that uplift individuals, families and communities. Previously, she held the position of Principal Social Worker where she provided clinical supervisions for staff and conducted clinical training and capability building programmes. Over the years, Pei Ni has led various workgroups to spearhead initiatives, such as the core clinical competency framework for social work practitioners across Allkin’s four Family Service Centres (FSCs), which ensures quality clinical service standards. She also has vast experience working with multi-stressed families and individuals.

Ms Pei Ni holds a Master of Social Work (with Child Welfare certification) from the University of Michigan and had received trainings in various therapeutic modalities such as Satir’s Systemic Transformational Therapy, TFCBT and EFCT models.