Safe & Sound: Cultivating a Trauma(human)-informed Approach for Employee and Employer Well-being provides compelling stories, sound research, actionable tools, checklists, and real-world examples to help organizations create environments where employee AND employer can thrive.
Pre-order today and receive a 30-minute call with Anita to discuss your organization's current position on the Safe+Sound Continuum.
PRE-ORDER TODAY
Despite a collective hunger for safety and the fact that 70% of people worldwide have experienced at least one traumatic event (and post-pandemic it's safe to say that number is closer to 100%), companies remain largely unaware of the impacts that trauma is having on their employees and their business. The bottom line is we simply cannot ignore this issue anymore. In Section 1 of Safe & Sound: Cultivating a trauma(human)-informed workplace, you'll learn the foundations of a psychologically safe and psychosocially secure workplace, what trauma is, how trauma response shows up, and the human and business cost for why tackling this work is so important. This awareness is foundational to beginning a Safe & Sound journey.
The events that bring awareness are often painful for the individual and the organization. Sticking your head in the sand is just not an option. Acknowledging this pain and the transformation that must occur to ensure these events subside is critical. This acknowledgement opens the door for healing, learning, and innovation.
All transformation needs someone to champion the cause – someone who understands the issue, can communicate the needs, and act as a bridge to bring everyone, and everything, into alignment. Having a clear advocacy plan is a vital piece to creating a Safe & Sound environment.
One area where change often gets stalled is in receiving the necessary approvals, resources, and commitment from leadership. Creating clear expectations, bargains, and agreements through Declarations of Commitment are a Safe & Sound way to ensure progress. Communication is a key tenet of psychological safety as is the accountability that clear agreements create.
Understanding where existing policies, procedures, and practices may be failing Safe & Sound goals is key to transformation. By convening a dedicated working group tasked with root cause analysis, employee experience assessment, and review of existing conditions, a customized strategic plan can be developed to ensure implementation is achievable and aligned with organizational needs.
Defined action steps, dedicated time and resources for those actions, and calibrated and collaborative plans, make a Safe & Sound workplace more than a distant dream. Action teams help to move your objectives into reality. Proof of action also helps to build trust – a foundational element in trauma(human)-informed approaches.
Ensuring that all the pieces have been put together correctly is the last step in the Safe & Sound framework. Regularly reflecting on the process – reviewing the impact of change, evaluating lessons learned, documenting best practices, and recognizing and rewarding contributions – ensures that every action is aligned, and every agreement is honored.
My passion for catalyzing organizations to understand trauma and create psychologically safe environments is fueled by my belief that hiding our humanness hinders individual and organizational success.
As a survivor of childhood trauma and C-PTSD, I’ve navigated the challenges of thriving in unsupportive work environments. This firsthand experience, coupled with my extensive research and consulting work, has equipped me with deep insights into the hidden costs of trauma and the transformative power of creating psychologically safe workplaces.
I’ve witnessed the devastating consequences of unaddressed trauma on individuals and organizations, and I’ve also seen the remarkable resilience and innovation that emerge when employees feel safe and empowered. My passion lies in bridging the gap between these two realities, guiding leaders to embrace trauma-informed practices that unlock the full potential of their workforce.
I hold a B.S. in Psychology from Excelsior University, a Diploma in Global Leadership from The U.N.-Mandated University of Peace, and certifications as a Trauma-Informed Coach, Chief Well-Being Officer, Holistic Health Coach, CultureTalk Partner, and Strengths Practitioner.
Pre-order your copy today and receive a 30-minute call with Anita to discuss your organizations position on the Safe & Sound Continuum.
Current articles and excerpts written by Anita Roach, author of Safe & Sound: Cultivating Trauma(Human)-Informed Approaches to Employee and Employer Wellbeing
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Trauma is the Root Cause of Burnout Every day I see post after post about burnout…women sharing their pain, experts sharing their 5-step plan for avoiding it, how mindset work is the key, how business must shift to avoid it…all great stuff…but what I don’t see a lot of is the root cause analysis. Like all …
Trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and the challenges of today’s complex world that affect our workplaces 70% of U.S. adults have experienced at least one traumatic event. Almost 20% of us have 4 or more of the 10 adverse childhood experiences that relate to trauma and increased risk of physical and mental health challenges. 5% of us have Post …
