[COMM 2010: Providing Trauma-Informed Care]

COMM 2010 Providing Trauma Informed Care, 2 cr.

Term Taken: Summer 2023

Instructor: Sarah Butterfly

PREREQUISITE: All Phase one classes and MDWF 2010 or currently a CPM/RM This course will explore the impacts of trauma and traumatic stress on childbearing people. This course included midwives' unique role in providing trauma-informed care and trauma-specific interventions, promoting resilience for persons with a history of trauma, supplying supportive care for those experiencing current trauma, and promoting appropriate support for families experiencing parent, fetal, or newborn death. Learners explore clinical best practices, tools, policies, and procedures that promote trauma-sensitive and culturally safe care for midwives and clients. 

Learning Objectives At the completion of this course, the students will be able to demonstrate knowledge and skills in the following areas: - 22 -
1. Define trauma, traumatic stress, and post-traumatic stress disorder.
2. Understand common sources of personal trauma and traumatic stress.
3. Discuss the influences of complex trauma, historical trauma, and intergenerational trauma.
4. Understand physical and psychological impacts of trauma and traumatic stress on parent, fetal and newborn well-being.
5. Identify behaviors and coping techniques in midwifery clients that may indicate a history of trauma or current trauma.
6. List clinical events and routine midwifery practices that may trigger memories of trauma.
7. Learn best practices to respond appropriately to client disclosures of trauma, current trauma, re-traumatization, or triggering.
8. Describe specific strategies midwives can use to help clients cope with post-traumatic stress symptoms and somatic trauma memories.
9. Develop tools to support client resilience and trauma healing during pregnancy, labor, birth, and the postpartum period.
10. Develop culturally safe and trauma-informed approaches to sexual, reproductive, and end-of-life care choices.
11. Develop resource lists of pre-screened, trauma-informed referrals.
12. Incorporate knowledge of local laws and regulations into trauma-informed midwifery care.
13. Differentiate between trauma-informed and trauma-specific interventions and understand how to implement both within midwifery care.
14. Critically evaluate practice policies, procedures, communication, advertising, education, and structures with a traumainformed lens.
15. Describe the value of and rationale for trauma-informed midwifery practices and communities.
16. Understand the impacts of vicarious trauma and secondary trauma, and the importance of provider self-care and trauma healing. 

(Midwives College Utah (2023-2024) Course Catalog. https://www.midwifery.edu/course-catalog/ )