Reflection One: Foundations of Trauma-Informed Practice
Angela Luo
SOCW 564 – Trauma-Informed Clinical Social Work
University of British Columbia Okanagan
Tara Ettinger
July 9, 2026
My understanding of trauma-informed practice has been challenged and reinforced
through both our discussion and our readings. One thing that stood out to me from the tour of
Big Bear was how environment can be an agent of healing by physically communicating
warmth, welcome, and safety. This challenges my original idea of trauma-informed practice
being solely a set of skills that I can learn and implement, independent of space and place. The
truth is that no person operates separately from the location they inhabit, and it makes me
become even more cognizant of the stolen lands we live, play, and practice on. I am becoming
more aware of how trauma work is woven together with the work of decolonization, and being
an agent of repair amidst the ongoing intergenerational trauma requires me to adopt an
epistemologically humble and decolonial lens. Discussion of the cultural iceberg also reminded
me of the importance of looking beyond visible “problematic” behaviours to wonder with
genuine curiousity about what might be lying underneath. I can regularly ask myself the
question: “In my interactions today, was I paying attention to what might be under the surface
of behaviour, or was I fixated only on the behaviour?”
Self-awareness and self-reflection are foundational in trauma-informed practice because
if practitioners are unaware of the personal and vicarious stressors that impact them day to day,
they will inevitably carry them into sessions with clients, potentially in harmful ways. Therapist
effects in psychotherapy account for 5-8% of psychotherapy outcome effects (Norcross &
Lambert, 2018, p. 307). I want to learn how to show up in a way that helps produce positive
outcomes instead of compounding emotional and mental baggage in my work with clients. When
I am impacted by the stressors in my own life and the trauma of those around me, I want to take
time to commit to grounding, cognitive restructuring, and seeking support as we discussed in
class. Grounding could be as simple as taking a few deep breaths and taking time to orient
myself in a room before I see my next client. Cognitive restructuring could look like identifying
my negative thinking patterns such as “black and white thinking” and then systematically
challenging them. Seeking support can look like professional support (i.e. therapy) and being
honest with friends and mentors about how I am really doing and asking for help when I need it.
I want to incorporate these actions alongside a weekly self-reflection practice where I reflect on
prompts such as: “What stressors or traumas (from myself or others) have impacted me today
that I should be mindful of moving forward?”
I appreciated our discussion on worldviews, and the importance of reflecting on our own
worldviews so that we do not impose worldviews and make assumptions about others. Another
reflection prompt I could incorporate in my weekly practice could be: “Where did I take on a
posture of curiousity today? Where did I make an assumption about someone else based on my
own worldview?” My own worldviews, experiences, and intersections of identity deeply
influence how I engage with clients, as no one—including myself—is ever a “blank slate”. For
instance, my experiences of trauma and mental illness can give me a deep empathy for the
experiences of those who are living through their own traumas and mental health concerns, but
also can lead to unhealthy countertransference and becoming “triggered” in certain cases that
feel similar to my own story. My race, culture, gender, ability, sexuality, education level,
socioeconomic level, all influence how I perceive and interact with clients, as well as how they
perceive and interact with me. Furthermore, I must be cognizant of my own power and privilege
so I can use my power as a practitioner in ways that centre clients’ wellbeing and not my own
gain. This all aligns with the concept of trauma stewardship, which is to “always remember the
privilege and sacredness of being called to help…maintaining our highest ethics, integrity, and
responsibility every step of the way” (van Dernoot Lipsky & Burke, 2009, p. 6).
References
Norcross, J. C., & Lambert, M. J. (2019). Psychotherapy relationships that work III.
Psychotherapy, 55(4), 303-315. [Link]
van Dernoot Lipsky, L., & Burk, C. (2009). Trauma stewardship: An everyday guide to caring
for self while caring for others. Berrett-Koehler Publishers.