Trauma Work in a Traumatized World
by Brittany M. Lewis Raczkiewicz
Halfway through my MSW program at the University at Buffalo, I realized that the field of trauma work can redefine many things for a burgeoning social worker… the term “client,” for instance, or maybe the “why” of certain behaviors. But in another sense, the field can redefine a career…or perhaps even a life.
As an advanced year MSW intern, I had been tasked with spreading the word of trauma and trauma-informed care to various local agencies as they worked to adjust their practices, policies, and approaches to be more inclusive of these essential concepts. This work was buttoned up and motivating, and I quickly realized that I had much to learn. What became quickly apparent was the fact that what I thought I had to learn (theories, presenting skills, trauma-specific and trauma-focused interventions) wasn’t even a fraction of what was truly needed.
I had to be willing to learn me. I had to develop a curiosity that could fuel a lifetime of work asking the question of “what happened.” Much to my dismay, that may have even involved learning a little bit more about myself. In that realization, I began to recognize that the field of trauma work is worthy of becoming a global effort. It is a commitment to principles that may redefine the way in which humans interact. It could change the course of politics, of interpersonal relationships, of workplace environments, of child-rearing, of healing—if we, the experts, unite and commit.
With that realization, my path was redirected.
The field of trauma work isn’t just about helping others to heal from the worst days of their lives. When we, as helpers, are invited into a person’s life to do just that, the experience can be both beautiful and gut-wrenching. Helping a person to heal old wounds that may have once been far too deep to touch is like dancing an imperfectly choreographed dance, one with an inspirationally dynamic leader, and where oftentimes, the “expert” becomes the follower.
Beyond clinical care, trauma work is about helping places to become more effective. This work is about helping others to see the ways in which their simplest interactions can have impacts that may last a lifetime.
Trauma impacts every single human on this earth. Still, it is a deeply personal, often hidden taboo that hides inside and can weigh a life down. Trauma work—whether with places, people, or groups—is a field of social work with a uniquely universal core that has the power to unite and normalize; work that is so needed in our starkly divisive culture. Further, this work has the enchanting power to beg for healing and wholeness in ways that no other corner of this field could match.
Brittany M. Lewis Raczkiewicz excitedly anticipates earning her MSW, NYS CASAC, and EMDR Basic Training in the spring of 2020. Currently, she works as an assistant program manager in chemical dependency and is also an MSW intern at the Institute on Trauma and Trauma-Informed Care at the University at Buffalo.