Trauma Coaching + Therapy Together: A Trauma-Informed Solution

We are in the midst of a global crisis in terms of accessing #mentalhealth care. 

Awareness of the effects of mental illness on individuals and communities is on the rise. 

This is a good thing.

We are also living in a challenging time. There is a lot of stress, strain, and #trauma. The demand for servicesway surpasses the number of therapists available to 
meet the need. The vast majority of the global population cannot afford #therapy or face a variety of 
other barriers to care. 

This is not a good thing. 

As a trauma specialist and #therapist who has been in the field of social services for 30+ years, I am 
beginning to take on a broader view of the problem and I am motivated to find unique solutions. 

#Traumacoaching is one of those solutions. 

Why? 

Because no matter how much we press this issue, we will not be able to meet the global demand for 
master's level mental health providers within our lifetime, or even the next lifetime. 

In fact, people are leaving the field of mental health. It just isn't working the way it is set up right now. 

But, people need help NOW. 

The longer we wait, the more trauma has the opportunity to erode our social fabric and chip away at
our health as a society. 

Trauma impacts us:

➡️ By perpetuating interpersonal violence
➡️ By contributing to a variety of other long-term 
health conditions
➡️ #Epigenetics predispose the next generation to be 
symptomatic even without direct exposure to traumatic
events. 
➡️ By interrupting our ability to establish health 
connections 

I would argue that trauma is at the root of what ails us.
Socially. Emotionally. Physically. 

We can do something. 

I know that therapists sometimes get their feathers ruffled about coaching. 

I am going to ruffle some more feathers by arguing against "more therapy" as the main solution to this 
problem, whether that be in the context of more frequent therapy, more intensive therapy, or more 
therapists. All of those things are great, but none of them are attainable to the majority of people around 
the world. 

In case you are interested, I am offering a free webinar on the Ethics of Trauma Coaching that discusses some of the challenges: 

https://www.theorendaproject.org/ethics-trauma-coaching

There are so many examples (and plenty of research) behind peer supports, task shifting/task sharing 
and other forms of delegating non-specialized components of mental health care to lay people. Here 
is a really cool example of a program in some African countries that trains hair stylists to be 
mental health ambassadors to help meet the urgent need:

https://www.instagram.com/p/C0ZmpCqOkeK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Here is an article on task shifting and mental health that reveals almost all positive results:

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/global-menta
l-health/article/applying-systems-thinking-to-task-shift
ing-for-mental-health-using-lay-providers-a-review-of-t
he-evidence/C1A56AD40142E62336517A2A10AA7946

In essence, we need to think beyond our boarders and stretch for solutions that may not have been under 
consideration. I might even go as far to say that assuming therapists are the only ones who have the 
capacity to safely support people is an elitist orientation when looking at the reality of the global 
population. 

Creating a trauma coaching course that clearly defines and differentiates the roles of therapist versus 
coach, that is designed to support both the therapist and the client, and that is designed for coaching and 
therapy to be used side-by-side is one proposed  solution.

Here is a blog post the shares current statistics and more on coaching as a solution. 

https://www.theorendaproject.org/blog/therapy-coaching-shaking-up-the-mental-health-care-system

Share with me - what are your ideas to address this 
global challenge? I encourage you to think bigger, be 
bolder, and look beyond your boarders. We are all in 
this together, after all. 

Trauma is the problem. Be the solution. 

Share your comments on our instagram page @orendaproj!

And yes, please engage in kind, thoughtful, 
professional discourse.