My Story
I am a technical advisor, teacher, trainer, researcher, advocate, social worker, mental health professional, writer, designer, and improv actor with over 25 years of professional experience.
I am also a survivor of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
- My academic work and professional background are intersections of humanitarian assistance, international development, trauma, gender, social inclusion, positive youth development, self-care, and the empowerment of vulnerable groups.
- I have trained community-based organizations, law students, lawyers, law enforcement, social workers, health professionals, child protection and welfare specialists in using trauma-informed, and gender and socially transformative strategies for greater impact in communities.
- I have provided clinical care to survivors and perpetrators of sexual violence and abuse, refugees, asylees, human trafficking survivors, migrants, women and adolescent girls in fragile settings, highly vulnerable youth at risk of recruitment in gangs, terrorism and other extremist activities.
- I have designed, managed, and evaluated effective and innovative programming at CARE, The Rotary Foundation, the International Organization for Adolescents (IOFA), the International Rescue Committee (IRC), and Child Fund International.
- I have worked and traveled in over 50 countries across the regions of North and Latin America, Africa, and Asia.
- I am committed to user-driven, locally relevant, and fully customized approaches to building effective solutions in each context.
I look forward to learning about your needs and collaborating with you to build organizations and systems that are more trauma informed, and ultimately more effective.
MY WORK
My Work and Contributions
A partnership initiative with Loyola University to support youth aging out of CARE in Ethiopia and Cambodia
A publication to assist service providers in identifying and responding to child victims of human trafficking
A program model and resource package to prevent and respond to violence against adolescent girls in humanitarian settings
Trauma-informed and gender transformative trainings for community level health huts across Senegal
A trauma-informed, youth centered, design program for youth to identify the issues of most importance to them and then use of a toolkit to design their own solutions
A multi-week online training on psychological first aid, social and emotional skill building, child friendly spaces and self-care for humanitarian response professionals
3-day psychosocial training for legal and social service professionals supporting migrants on the border with a focus on unaccompanied minors
A youth centered program in Mexico and Central America that uses innovative employment, trauma informed child protection, and civic participation to reduce the risk of dangerous migration
For over a decade, Shelby and I worked collaboratively to design systems, and train students and professionals to be more trauma informed and gender transformative, with a focus on victims of crime. Shelby has a unique ability to translate the science of both trauma and child and adolescent development to multiple audiences, including school systems, social service providers, legal professionals, law enforcement, and community organizations. Her approach is equally grounded in both research and empathy. She empowers professionals to engage more effectively with vulnerable communities while also centering the agency and resilience of those impacted by trauma and harm.
The Trauma We Carry
At some point in our lives, every single one of us will be exposed to a traumatic situation or event. Trauma, and the impact that it has on our brains, is fueled by violence of all kinds, war, natural disasters, developmental abuse, mistreatment, and neglect. We can also feel trauma from the everyday stress that we witness on TV, social media, and in our communities.
Trauma and toxic stress transforms our brains, our bodies, and our ability to trust and engage with the world around us. It enters our nervous systems on the cellular level where we may notice the impact but are forced to carry it silently. This silence compounds together in our workplaces and social groups. Collectively, the experience of trauma then impedes the function and well being of whole communities, organizations, and systems. Gender inequity, social exclusion, and harmful social norms amplify individual trauma that transforms into collective and generational pain, organizational dysfunction, and individual burn out.
Services
Transform's Services
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Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam illo eveniet sit dolores omnis ab enim molestias sed unde quam a molestiae unde. Ea minus incidunt quo quidem deleniti At autem minus et quas quos non laborum quae est neque t quo quidem deleniti.
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Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam illo eveniet sit dolores omnis ab enim molestias sed unde quam a molestiae unde. Ea minus incidunt quo quidem deleniti At autem minus et quas quos non laborum quae est neque t quo quidem deleniti.
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam eveniet
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam illo eveniet sit dolores omnis ab enim molestias sed unde quam a molestiae unde. Ea minus incidunt quo quidem deleniti At autem minus et quas quos non laborum quae est neque t quo quidem deleniti.
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam eveniet
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam illo eveniet sit dolores omnis ab enim molestias sed unde quam a molestiae unde. Ea minus incidunt quo quidem deleniti At autem minus et quas quos non laborum quae est neque t quo quidem deleniti.
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam eveniet
Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam illo eveniet sit dolores omnis ab enim molestias sed unde quam a molestiae unde. Ea minus incidunt quo quidem deleniti At autem minus et quas quos non laborum quae est neque t quo quidem deleniti.
Our Process
Step One – Connect
Contact Shelby to talk about how trauma, gender inequity, or social exclusion impacts your work, program, or organization.
Contact Transform Right NowStep Two - Define, Gather and Design
Clearly define problem or need with a focus on root causes and actionable solutions.
Customize interventions to meet agreed upon goals and mutual vision for transformation of target environment.
Implement the tools of transformation including trainings, capacity building, crisis response planning, trauma-informed program design or redesign, policy and procedure updates as appropriate.
Step Three – Evaluate, Adjust, and or Sustain
Evaluate interventions with follow up plan for improving upon and sustaining success.
From the Blog
Visit here for more posts about the research and impact of collective trauma in organizations, systems, and communities.