Part Two – Trauma‑Informed Healing with Dr. Karen Harvey

Part Two – Trauma‑Informed Healing with Dr. Karen Harvey

Welcome & Housekeeping

• Continuing‑education credits for the first part of the series have been emailed in an encrypted format; attendees were asked to check spam folders and to allow about 14 days before contacting the presenter about missing credits.
• The second part ran from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., hosted again by Danielle and the Illinois network.

From Trauma to Healing

• Dr. Harvey reminded the group that, although discussions of trauma can feel “depressing,” people do heal when they receive the right kind of support.
• Healing begins when a person feels safe; without safety, moving forward is extremely difficult.

Autism: Listening to the Voices on the Spectrum

• Advocacy video created by autistic people stresses the need for support, not fixing.
• Sean Bickley’s call to action at a national conference: “Why is 97 % of the money allotted to support me used to fix me, while only 3 % actually supports me?” He prefers the label “an autistic” rather than “a person with a disorder.”
• Emily Titan’s story illustrates the trauma of being punished for “doing something wrong” when she could not communicate her needs.
• These examples highlight the dichotomy between fixing and supporting, showing how fixing creates tension, power struggles, and feelings of being misunderstood.

The Cost of “Fixing”

• Personal example: In her first year of marriage, Dr. Harvey listed everything “wrong” with her husband and discovered that pointing out flaws creates defensiveness rather than change.
• Restraint & reward systems used with residents in a highly regimented program produced dependency, limited choice, and made it hard for individuals to identify their own preferences.
• Power struggles arise when staff act like parents in “fixing” behavior, leading to incidents and deteriorating relationships.

Trauma‑Informed Model: The Safety Triangle

1. Safety – Emotional and physical safety are the foundation.
2. Relationships – Connections with peers, staff, friends, and romantic partners are essential for recovery.
3. Empowerment (Power & Choice) – Real, person‑centered choices give individuals agency over their lives.

Dr. Harvey noted that many behavioral issues stem from loneliness and that the triangle should be consulted whenever a problem arises.

Video Spotlight: Autistic Experiences of Restraint

• A 2‑year‑old video made by autistic individuals describes prone restraint in stark, first‑person language, with a content warning and black‑and‑white presentation to allow viewers to skip the most graphic portion.
• Participants communicated via typing, iPads, or multimodal methods, emphasizing that “just because I cannot speak does not mean I don’t hear.”
• The video condemns restraint as a “fight with a predetermined winner,” detailing the physical sensations of being held down, the feeling of suffocation, and the humiliation of being spoken to as a child.
• It calls for direct consultation with non‑speaking autistic people in any media or therapeutic project.

Case Studies Illustrating Healing Strategies

The Healing Center – Integrated Trauma Work

Program Structure
1. Intensive Trauma Work – EMDR, group therapy, expressive arts, music therapy, chair yoga, guided imagery.
2. Identity Building – Activities that help participants discover personal preferences, strengths, and a sense of self.
3. Purpose Discovery – Encouraging participants to envision roles such as partner, employee, or community contributor.

Daily Routine
- A welcoming song that creates a sense of belonging.
- Check‑ins to gauge mood and current concerns.
- Group sessions that foster a “family‑like” atmosphere where participants support one another.

Outcomes
- Participants moved from silence to sharing personal trauma (e.g., Elena’s grief).
- The program reduced reliance on restraints and increased self‑advocacy.

Relationships as the Core of Healing

• Harvard Study: The happiest adults were those with strong marriages or close friendships, not those with the most money or education.
• Loneliness & Mortality: Research by Holt‑Lunstad shows social isolation doubles the risk of early death, surpassing obesity.
• Iraq PTSD Study: Veterans who maintained frequent contact with friends/family and felt supported by their unit were far less likely to develop severe PTSD.
• Dr. Harvey concluded that relationships heal and that staff should act as “magic staff” who provide acceptance, positive regard, and encouragement (“You’re cool. You’re good. I’ve got you.”).

Identity Development & Empowerment

• Erikson’s stage: Adolescence is critical for forming identity versus role confusion. For people with intellectual/developmental disabilities, “role confusion” often becomes a negative identity imposed by others (“you can’t marry, you can’t work”).
• Vertical vs. Horizontal Identity (Andrew Solomon)
• Vertical: Family of birth or upbringing.
• Horizontal: Chosen community, friends, and romantic partners.
• Empowerment vs. Power – Dr. Harvey prefers “empowerment” to highlight returning choice and control to individuals, acknowledging that the system holds power over them.

Practical tools
- Happiness Assessment – Based on Seligman’s five levels of happiness (pleasure, engagement, relationships, achievement, meaning) and integrated into every behavior plan.
- Daily Happiness Worksheet – A gratitude journal encouraging three things participants appreciate each day.

Staff Practices that Foster Healing

• Positive Regard – Consistently affirm the person’s worth (“You’re a good person”).
• Active Listening – Training staff in motivational interviewing reduced incidents by 85 %.
• Coaching Mindset – Staff are encouraged to see themselves as coaches rather than enforcers or bodyguards.
• Celebrating Success – Recognizing milestones (e.g., “Joe didn’t break a wall for three months”) builds achievement and meaning.

Daily Happiness Worksheet

• A daily happiness worksheet is offered as a gratitude journal.
• Research cited indicates that writing down several things appreciated each day can increase optimism, hope, and joy.
• The worksheet asks participants to note three items each day:
• Something amazing or awesome (e.g., a flower, a sunrise).
• Something that made them smile or laugh.
• Something they are looking forward to.
• It is available on the speaker’s website and can be used with staff or family members.

Hope, Outlook, and the Impact of COVID

• The speaker stresses the importance of having something to look forward to for quality of life.
• COVID‑19 stripped away many forward‑looking experiences (outings, concerts, etc.), making it especially hard for everyone.

Inspiration from Poetry

“There’s always light if only we are brave enough to see it and if only we are brave enough to be it.” – Amanda Gorman

The audience was thanked for being “the light,” choosing to see the unseen, and supporting marginalized individuals and the supporters who aid them.

Trauma, Secondary Trauma, and Leadership

• Families often carry significant trauma, and staff can also bring trauma into their work.
• Secondary trauma can affect workers when they engage with traumatized individuals.
• A trauma‑informed leadership approach is presented as a way to address these dynamics.

Recommended Reading

• The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk
• The Boy Who Was Raised as a Dog – Bruce Perry
• What Happened to You – Bruce Perry & Oprah Winfrey
• Trauma and Recovery – Judith Herman
• The Deepest Well – Nadine Burke Harris
• The Good Life – Robert Waldinger (and co‑author Schultz)

A PDF of the PowerPoint presentation includes a reference section with these titles.

Shifting the Staff Role: From Caregiver to Coach

• Loneliness, identified by David Petoniak as “our biggest problem,” requires real, fulfilling relationships for people with disabilities.
• Staff should move from being the “be‑all and end‑of‑all” to being supporters and coaches, acknowledging that they will eventually move on (promotions, new jobs) and should not be the sole relationship for the individual they serve.

Learning from Mistakes

• In response to a comment, the speaker admitted to making many mistakes, emphasizing that those mistakes taught valuable lessons.
• It is okay to make mistakes, admit them, and learn from the “sinking feeling” when things go wrong.

Q&A Highlights

• Cassie’s fiancé: Emphasized the need for education on supporting individuals who stand up for themselves and face job loss.
• Caitlin’s concern about violence: Suggested separating aggressive individuals from triggers, using therapeutic work, and gradually re‑introducing them to shared living.
• Diane’s point on grief waves: Confirmed that trauma can return in waves; plans must include ongoing safety and support.
• Ashley on adult identity: Noted that parents often treat adult children as children, hindering relationship building.
• Requests for resources: Dr. Harvey offered to share a list of books (see Recommended Reading) and directed participants to her website for the happiness assessment tools.

Closing Remarks & Continuing Education

• Dr. Harvey thanked the audience, the Illinois network, and especially the direct support professionals (DSPs) who “got it right” by listening, accepting, and encouraging.
• She reiterated that trauma‑informed care is a moral imperative: safety, relationships, and empowerment must be woven into every interaction.
• Participants were invited to download the Happiness Assessment, use the daily gratitude worksheet, and continue advocating for human‑rights‑based access to therapeutic services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
• Continuing‑education credits for the second part will be issued within about 14 days.

The session emphasized that safety, authentic relationships, and empowerment are the core pillars of trauma‑informed healing, especially for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. It highlighted the harmful effects of a "fixing" mindset and advocated for supportive, choice‑driven approaches that respect autistic voices. Staff are urged to shift from caregiver to coach, using tools like the happiness assessment and active listening to foster autonomy and joy. The presented case studies and program structure demonstrate how integrated trauma work, identity building, and purpose discovery can reduce restraint use and promote self‑advocacy. Finally, the importance of addressing secondary trauma among workers and sustaining ongoing support was underscored as essential for lasting recovery.