Transformative Program Design, Training, and Responseunderline graphic

Fusing together the intersection of trauma, gender, and social inclusion.

“We are on the verge of becoming a trauma-conscious society.”
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Bessel Van der Kolk, M.D., The Body Keeps the Score (2015) - "Advances in neuroscience have given us a better understanding of how trauma changes brain development, self regulation, and the capacity to stay focused and in tune with others. We have learned how, throughout life, experiences change the structure and function of the brain and even affect the genes we pass on to our children. Understanding many of the fundamental process that underlie traumatic stress opens the door to an array of interventions that can bring the brain areas related to self-regulation, self-perception, and attention back online. We know not only how to treat trauma, but also increasingly, how to prevent it."

My Storyunderline graphic

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 Contributionsunderline graphic

IOFA | Project Prepare

A trauma informed life skills cirriculum for youth aging out of care

IOFA | Transitions Initiative: Supporting Orphaned Youth Aging out of Care

A partnership initiative with Loyola University to support youth aging out of CARE in Ethiopia and Cambodia

IOFA and Loyola University | ChildRight: Building Child Welfare Response to Child Trafficking

A publication to assist service providers in identifying and responding to child victims of human trafficking

IRC | Girl Shine

A program model and resource package to prevent and respond to violence against adolescent girls in humanitarian settings

USAID | USAID Neema

Trauma-informed and gender transformative trainings for community level health huts across Senegal

ChildFund International | Voice Now!

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

ChildFund | Encircle: Psychosocial Interventions and Support

A multi-week online training on psychological first aid, social and emotional skill building, child friendly spaces and self-care for humanitarian response professionals

ChildFund | Healing While Helping

3-day psychosocial training for legal and social service professionals supporting migrants on the border with a focus on unaccompanied minors

Confio | Healing While Helping

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

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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.

Katherine Kaufka Walts, Director Center for the Human Rights of Children, Loyola University Chicago School of Law

The Trauma We Carryunderline graphic

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.

In our increasingly interconnected world, most humans are forced to experience or bear witness to trauma at some point in our lives.

70%

of adults in the U.S. have
experienced some type of
traumatic event at
least once in their lives.
That’s 223.4 million people.

- National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2013

>33%

of youths exposed to community
violence will experience PTSD.

- National Council for Mental Wellbeing, 2013

5%

of the US population has
PTSD in any given year.

- National Center for PTSD, 2023

Services

Transform's Services
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Crisis Response and Rebuild

Healing workshops and retreats that work with teams to rebuild trust and generate compassion following organizational crisis, whether acute or chronic.

Training and Capacity Building

1-to-5-day trainings on the basics of trauma informed strategies and frameworks, building gender and socially transformative strategies and shaping your organization to be kinder, better, and ultimately, more effective.

Program and Project Design

User driven and led program or project design built upon trauma informed and gender/socially transformative principles and strategies.

Analysis and Assessment

Review of current organizational practice, policies and procedures with recommendations for building a more trauma informed and transformative approach and culture.

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Ea repellat odit sed fugit placeat nam eveniet

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Our Processunderline graphic

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Step One – Connect

Contact Shelby to talk about how trauma, gender inequity, or social exclusion impacts your work, program, or organization.

Contact Transform Right Now right arrow

Step 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 Blogunderline graphic

Visit here for more posts about the research and impact of collective trauma in organizations, systems, and communities.

The Intersection of Trauma, Gender, and Social Inclusion; Transformation through Intentional Convergence
From Cellular Trauma to Organizational Impact: How Trauma and Toxic Stress Erodes Mission and Impact
What Can We All Do?: How Non-Mental Health Professionals Can Bring Healing and Kindness to Community

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