Resilience Network to hold trauma training

“Anyone that is interested can reach out to me to see if the event is a good fit,” said organizer Claire Ranit. “We won’t be covering general information on TIPs or resilience, so this may or may not be the best first meeting for someone to join if they don’t have a baseline understanding of that information.”

Resilience Network of the Gorge is a grant-funded project with the Mid-Columbia Center for Living, with the goal “to create a resilient community by spreading knowledge on the neurobiology of stress and adverse childhood experiences, while supporting community organizations to come together to integrate trauma-informed practices in their work,” Ranit said.

The TIPs and resilience work in the community is intended to support different sectors such as social services, public health, law enforcement, first responders, education and healthcare.

“Our main goal is to create a space where people can get hands-on experience working with TIPs tools and think of practical ways for everyday implementation,” she said.

Resilience Network defines TIPs as “a program, organization, system, or person that is trauma-informed, realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for resilience; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff and others involved with the system; responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures and practices; and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization.”

One of the tools Resilience Network teaches practices to use is SELF: A non-linear, cognitive behavioral therapeutic approach to problem solving.

SELF is an acronym for “the four key domains of healing,” said a press release: Safety, as it relates to physical, psychological, social and moral wellbeing; emotional management, “being able to identify a true feeling, the source, and knowing how to manage it so that wellness and safety is maintained for both the person experiencing the feeling and for those around them;” loss, “feeling grief and dealing with personal losses and recognizing that all change involves loss;” and future, “how do we create an ideal future within this change?” and “looking for places of empowerment in the situation.”

While Resilience Network has previously hosted learning collaboratives in Hood River and The Dalles, this is the first joint event where different groups will meet together.

“Attendees have been wanting to do joint TIPs LCs and this is the first time we’ve been able to coordinate it,” she said.

Ranit leads five two-day trainings per year that give an in-depth introduction to the topic and more condensed sessions throughout the community that introduce the concepts, along with coaching and technical assistance sessions for implementation support.

The next of these introductory sessions will be Jan. 10-11 in Hood River.

For more information on either the November or January sessions, visit createresiliency.org or contact Ranit at claire@createresiliency.org.