Traumatic experiences affect most people at some stage in life, yet we often won’t know about people’s experiences, and the impact of trauma is unique to each of us. By taking a trauma-informed approach we can use universal principles to help us to recognise the impact trauma may be having on the people we aim to work with and respond in a way that supports recovery and does not cause further harm.

Although many of us will experience some form of traumatic event in the course of our lives, the majority of people will recover well, through supportive, positive relationships with family, friends, colleagues, people in their community, service professionals, and in some cases also receiving clinical psychological interventions or therapy.

Over 70 organisations from across Scotland have pledged their ongoing commitment to embedding trauma informed principles and practice in Scotland to support anyone affected by psychological trauma.

If you are currently struggling with the impact of a traumatic event or events, we have listed some national support organisations who may be able to help.