Community and Boundaries: Building Relationships in the Trauma Informed Care Environment
Mandi Pierson, LISW-S | September 20 | 2:45-3:45 PM
Topic: Direct Service | Knowledge Level: Beginner, Intermediate | Location: Auditorium
Therapeutic alliance, rapport, boundaries…terms we have all heard, but how do we create them? How do we foster relationships that have a positive and lasting impact on the treatment experience? Together, we will take a closer look at the importance of the relationship between treatment providers and clients. All of our encounters matter, so the presenter will discuss how to set the stage for helpful connections from the first encounter we have with clients throughout their time in treatment, even in the face of setbacks. The presenter will cover how to build and often re-build therapeutic relationships that are challenged by disappointment, trauma, and shame. Together, we will review the importance of modeling healthy relationships, agency wide, and even between interagency partnerships and how these connections impact on client experience. She will look at practical ways to build rapport while maintaining boundaries, and ways to build a better understanding of how trauma informs building a therapeutic alliance, using kindness, trust, and even humor to bridge the gaps. There will be an opportunity to explore how to best handle disagreements and misunderstandings within the therapeutic relationship. Finally, the presenter will discuss how to terminate a relationship successfully.
Presentation Objectives:
· Develop understanding of positive relationships as Trauma Informed Care
· Identify ways to build and model healthy relationships
· Describe the importance of the therapeutic relationship
· List ways to develop a positive therapeutic relationship
· Identify ways to recover from therapeutic relationship challenges
· Describe personal boundaries and self-care in the therapeutic relationship