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What’s Right With You: Applying the Science of Trauma-Informed Care

September 8, 2023

No one can deny that everyone, regardless of age, geography, or identity, has faced trauma over the last few years. Between the pandemic, political and racial unrest, and a crippling mental health crisis, new hurt has emerged and historical inequities have worsened. This time has been especially challenging for young folks who are in the midst of critical years of development and socialization.

As youth-supporting professionals, we have a responsibility to create safe, inclusive, and healing spaces for young people.

What does all this have to do with healthy sexual development and sex ed? Everything. As youth-supporting professionals, we have a responsibility to create safe, inclusive, and healing spaces for young people. And we, the adults, must also take care of ourselves and heal from our own trauma, so we don’t transpose our wounds on those we are meant to teach, guide, and mentor.

Being familiar with what trauma is, is not enough. We must understand what it is born of, who it impacts, and most of all, how we can respond. This pre-conference is for any youth-supporting provider who wants to move beyond learning the basics about trauma and, instead, wants concrete recommendations based on the work of researchers, human-centered designers, practitioners, and youth on how to put trauma-informed, healing-based, and inclusive approaches into practice.

Visual of a circle with the text, "Human-Centered Design: A creative, problem-solving process that involves the communities we serve in the development of solutions to the issues they face" in the center; and 5 smaller circles around the perimeter of the circle, with the following statements and icons: 1) brain icon: "End-users are the expert." 2) pencil and ruler icon: "It's got to be practical." 3) lightbulb icon: "Innovation is key." 4) alarm clock ringing icon: "The time is now!" 5) growing plant icon: "We want to expand our thinking."

Learn more from our experts on how to integrate trauma-informed, healing-centered, inclusive approaches into your work with young people by joining us at the #HealthyTeen23 conference in Portland, OR!

As part of the pre-conference institutes, Thrivology is presenting “What’s Right with You: Applying the Science of Trauma-Informed Care” on Monday, October 2nd at 8:30AM PT.

Thrivology shares the latest research on how to provide the very best sexual and reproductive health education and care, so young people may thrive. Healthy Teen Network and Johns Hopkins Center for Adolescent Health have partnered to bring you Thrivology. Thrivology creates resources you can use, today, in real life.
This project is supported by the Office of Population Affairs (OPA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award (1 PHEPA000006-01-00) totaling $1,063,776.35 with 100 percent funded by OPA/OASH/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by OPA/OASH/HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit opa.hhs.gov.