Rethinking “trauma” and sexual violence

Services that engage with people who have experienced sexual violence – from the courtroom to mental health services – are increasingly claiming to be “trauma-informed”. However, often a sexual violence service is described as “trauma-informed” with no definition of what that means.  Even amongst professionals themselves there is little agreement as to what being a “trauma-informed” service signifies, and even less work engaging with survivors to define what that might look like.  This research community brings together academic experts in the fields of social policy, law and creative health from the universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter to explore these questions and more at a one-day workshop.  A variety of stakeholders, including activists, third sector organisations, and people with lived experience of sexual violence, will be central participants at the event.  The purpose of the workshop is to:  

• Initialise collaborations with community and survivor organisations; 

• Critique and expand our understanding of “trauma” through creative activities including creative writing; 

• Discuss what “trauma-informed” means in different contexts (and what the limits of this are). 

The day will be co-facilitated with “Survivors Leading Education for Empowerment and Change” (SLEEC).  Anticipated outcomes include an edited collection of short academic essays and creative writing on the subject of “trauma” and sexual violence, and the formation of a regionally grounded, South West–centred network that brings together local and wider stakeholders to deepen our understanding of “trauma” in the context of sexual violence