Capstone Assignment
Trauma-Informed Care
Oluwatoyin Janet Onanubi
Mental Health, Addiction and Substance Use, Conestoga College
Trauma-Informed Care and Services
(MNHL8340)
Anya Gross
9th April 2026
Reflection on how the Capstone went from MY PERSPECTIVE from a trauma-informed
perspective.
Objective
As part of my capstone project, I helped create a Program Guide for the MHASU program along
with my teammates, in order to increase consistency and reliability, reduce the stress level of our
professors, and give our instructors more confidence. This guide was intended to help our faculty
understand the competencies, how courses are related, and the purposes behind different
assessments.
Applying from the trauma-informed perspective, I embedded several principles of that
throughout the project. For one thing, I promoted psychological safety in the group – among us –
by being polite, respectful, and by telling everyone (there were five of us) that they should feel
free to contribute as many ideas as they liked, that no idea was a bad one. There were challenges,
but this made for a good vibe where everyone felt welcome to participate.
Secondly, I practiced trustworthiness and transparency by being upfront about work, deadlines,
and what to expect. I made my efforts predictable, and I kept my word, which helped foster trust
among the team (SAMHSA, 2014).
Third, I showed collaboration and mutuality by engaging in group process and by bearing an
equal share of the load. The project was a collaboration in itself, with the guide structured to
facilitate faculty teamwork and to ease the burden of program presentation (Conestoga College,
2026, Trauma-informed care: Key principles and SAMHSA framework).
Resilience was also shown in this project. The capstone entailed considerable effort and
collaboration, yet even with all that was involved, we stayed dedicated, helped each other out,
and overcame difficulties as a team. This is consistent with trauma-informed principles because
we created a nurturing and flexible atmosphere (Conestoga College, 2026, Week 6: Resilience).
And I supported that same empowerment, voice and choice by asking everyone in the group to
contribute and honouring our different viewpoints when it came time to make decisions. This
made sure that the end result was the product of collective input and not one person's vision
(SAMHSA, 2014).
Finally, the principles of trauma-informed practice informed the very development of the guide
as it was created to avoid cognitive overload, promote faculty wellness, and offer information
that increases confidence while decreasing anxiety.
Reflective
I had both obstacles and meaningful moments while doing the capstone. We just started I was
feeling overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the project. It was a challenge thinking through,
editing, and rethinking in order to make a whole program fit in one guide. There were times
when I was not too sure of what we were doing as to whether we were going in the right
direction or if we had enough skills for the project.
As I went on, though, I started gaining confidence that we were indeed able to weave ideas from
course to course, and we were able to apply what we had learned from the program as a whole. I
believe that the process was significant because it was hands-on and would bring a real-life
practitioner perspective.
From a trauma-informed stance, I also gained additional insight into how stress and uncertainty
impact performance. There were times I saw when I felt stuck or tired in my mind, and it gave
me a little more insight into how both students and teachers could be in those places. That
heightened my empathy and reinforced why it's so important to develop supportive systems.
I was very happy and felt satisfied as I saw the pieces come together. The knowledge that the
guide might serve to assist faculty and enhance program delivery gave the work a sense of
purpose. The whole experience was challenging but very rewarding and really forced me to
expand myself both as a student and as a person.
Interpretative
My knowledge of systems trauma-informed care has tremendously increased through my
participation in this capstone project, not just at the individual level. I began to understand that
trauma-informed practice isn't just about how we engage with clients or students, but about how
systems are structured to either exacerbate or alleviate stress.
One takeaway I had was the stress-reducing power of clarity and predictability. In writing the
program guide, I realized how vagueness and uncertainty can breed anxiety. By offering a
"bird's-eye view" of the curriculum, the guide promotes the safety principle by increasing the
transparency of what participants are expected to do and making the learning expectations more
manageable (SAMHSA, 2014).
I also came away with a stronger understanding of the empowerment principle. Instead of
writing a rigid, prescriptive guide, we wrote it in such a way as to support faculty in their work
while still allowing them to keep their teaching style. That's because it illustrates the concept that
people do better work when they are trusted and made to feel valued, not controlled (SAMHSA,
2014).
Another takeaway for me is collaboration and mutuality, both within the team members when we
are working on the project, and also among the faculty members, which was really important.
The guide urges faculty to view themselves as linked within a system. This is consistent with
trauma-informed approaches that promote collective accountability and relational support
(SAMHSA, 2014).
In general, through this project, I realized that trauma-informed care is not limited to direct
practice but also to how organizations are structured. And it confirmed that even modest shifts in
structural organization can have a big effect on our sense of well-being, confidence and our level
of doing our day-to-day activities (Conestoga College, 2026, Trauma-informed care: Key
principles and SAMHSA framework).
Decisional
From now on, in order for me to practice in the professional world, I want to take all these things
that I've learned and be purposeful about the spaces that I create/offices that I hold and to make
them clear, supportive, and empowering.
Firstly, I will make use of clarity and transparency in my professional dealings, whether with
clients, colleagues, or within organizations. I've come to understand that clear expectations and
structure lead to a great reduction in stress and lead to better outcomes (SAMHSA, 2014).
On the other hand, supportive and flexible environments will be the second focus of my efforts. I
have realized that structure should not feel like a muzzle, but rather a support. Therefore, I will
strive to make the work and other places so attractive that people will want to express their true
selves, make a choice and develop themselves.
Third, I will pay more attention to the ways in which systems shape our experiences as people.
That means thinking about more than just individual behaviour, and considering how policies,
environments and systems might be causing stress or difficulties. I will work towards being an
advocate for change that supports health at the individual and system levels (Conestoga
College, 2026, Week 6: Resilience).
Lastly, this initiative helped me a lot in deepening my dedication to a trauma-informed approach.
According to me, doing "no further harm" means not only our manner of dealing with
individuals but also the way we create systems supporting them. I intend to keep this perspective
in my work and make sure that my contributions provide safety, respect, and development
(SAMHSA, 2014).
REFERENCES
1. Conestoga College. (2026). Week 6: Resilience [PowerPoint slides]. Trauma-Informed
Care and Services (MNHL8340).
2. Conestoga College. (2026). Trauma-informed care: Key principles and SAMHSA
framework [PowerPoint slides]. Trauma-Informed Care and Services (MNHL8340).
3. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). SAMHSA’s concept
of trauma and guidance for a trauma-informed approach. U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services