An interview with our Guest Contributor, Rachael Moss

Rachael Moss has a degree in Psychology and an MSc in Forensic Psychology. She has over 13 years experience working within community justice, restorative practice, in third sector and statutory services. She has occupied roles as a front-line practitioner, management, including policy and project management. Rachael has experience of working with survivors of trauma, specifically sexual and domestic abuse, and women involved in the justice system. She also has experience of coordinating peer led services and worked on consultations to ensure people with lived experience are represented in the development and evaluation of services. Rachael has a keen interest in the complimentary aspects of trauma informed practice, psychological safety and restorative practice to improve relationships and workplace well-being. You will hear Rachael talking about Glimmers to ensure people are more aware of stimuli and interactions throughout their day, that can bring moments of hope, joy and peace, and help to calm the nervous system. 

One success story that always sticks in my mind is my participation in a service user involvement group. I co-facilitated a cooking class that aimed to build safe, social connection through learning how to cook simple recipes and eat together. This group was proved to be immensely popular and successful but had to be put on hold due to the pandemic. However, I was adamant to find a way of keeping this activity going. I transformed the cooking class to a remote version, which involved dropping off a food parcel and recipe. Our members would cook the recipe and send in photos to share via Twitter, and we found this maintained social connection at a time of significant isolation. Some members cooked with their families or dropped off food to their loved ones. The feedback was always positive and not only promoted connection, but also new skills. Post pandemic, the cooking class has remained in its remote form, allowing more people to attend by alleviating various barriers they would have faced attending the in-person classes (e.g. travel cost, geography, anxiety). I will always be proud of this project and remember the glimmers this brought to people’s days, including my own.

Conversely, can you share any challenges you’ve faced in your sector, and discuss how you overcame them? 

In my experience so far, one of the areas I feel needs improvement is addressing the largely ‘one size fits all’ approach to addressing well-being. Research informs us of some of the challenges with regards to 64% of managers reporting having to prioritise organisational needs over staff well-being. We know that the principles of trauma informed practices are just as relevant for staff members, as they are for people who come through services.

I personally think there is more work to be done in this area and base a lot of this on my individual experiences. For example, if we take a scenario of someone who hasn’t had their needs met in childhood and goes on to experience coercive control in an intimate relationship in adulthood, the workplace could be a daily trigger zone. This is because our workplace is relational, and organisations (in my experience) operate in a hierarchical structure that can often (involuntarily) mimic power dynamics experiences in abusive situations. This is why someone who has experienced coercive control can be triggered by interactions that are disempowering (e.g. repeatedly being ignored via emails, spoken over in meetings, and not being given credit for your work). Being more aware of our triggers and completing daily check-ins with ourselves can help to raise our awareness and begin to name and tame our triggers which is an essential step in a staff members recovery. This graphic raises awareness of some workplace triggers.

In your work promoting trauma-informed practice and psychological safety, how do you advocate for the inclusion of lived expertise in the development and implementation of interventions, policies, and training programs?

The involvement of lived expertise is crucial in the development and implementation of interventions, policies, and training. I think there is concern out there that we could re-traumatise people. This concern is valid and shouldn’t be ignored. However, in my experience so far, anyone I have ever worked with in this capacity has told me that the involvement has benefited them. We should not forget the importance of professional experience and the fact that many professionals will have their own lived experience and may choose not to disclose this. Professional and lived expertise should work in harmony and be underpinned by robust processes and effective and consistent support. For example, this could include effective planning, debriefing and the inclusion of safety and stabilisation plans.

“Trauma” as a term is everywhere these days, often colloquialised on social media. Is there one thing you wish everyone understood about trauma and its impacts? 

If I were to choose something I wished everyone understood about trauma and its impacts, it would be that trauma is a unique and individual. No two journeys are the same. I think we can focus a lot on what has happened to people, which is key, but we also need to be more aware of things that don’t happen to us, that should, which include our needs not being met. This is also trauma and I believe more awareness of this could help people develop a more rounded understanding of themselves. This can be hugely healing as it can help to alleviate deep feelings of confusion and shame. It can give people a ‘lightbulb’ moment and provide them with an opening to completing the necessary steps to be more attuned to their authentic selves.  This is what I write about in my recent blog – looks can be deceiving. I think a lot of people will have experienced trauma, but maybe don’t see it as that, or don’t feel like they can speak out. Trauma should never involve a hierarchy.

At The For Baby’s Sake Trust, we take a trauma-informed approach to breaking intergenerational cycles of domestic abuse; how do you integrate trauma-informed principles and practice into your working and personal life? 

To implement a trauma informed approach, its adamant that we live and breathe the principles of safety, choice, trust, collaboration, and empowerment. Our interactions with the world are relational. We are naturally wired to connect with people and seek support from our environments and relationships. I think this is just as important professionally as it is personally. I think we need to constantly evaluate everything we do against the principles of trauma informed practice. I have recently done this to make a substantial change in my life that has been of significant benefit to my life. I checked in with myself and asked:

• Do I feel safe, physically, and psychologically in my environment and interactions?
• Do I trust my current situation? Is it transparent? Are people my friends or foes?
• Am I involved in a meaningful way? Do I have choices (where possible)?
• Are my relationships and interactions safe? Do I have a voice and am I involved in making decisions?
• Is my current situation one that plays to my strengths and offers me a safe place to thrive?

Doing a check-in against the principles can be one part of the jigsaw to helping you create safety and stability.

I am also an enthusiastic fan of Dr Dan Siegal’s Window of Tolerance model of emotional regulation. I have used this to gain a deeper understanding into how I can manage triggers, work towards being the best version of myself and maintaining a healthy balance in my nervous system.

Reflecting on your own professional journey, what are some of the most valuable lessons you’ve learned about leadership, resilience, and maintaining passion and purpose in the face of adversity?

• Lesson 1 – Leadership

For me personally, the lessons I’ve learnt on leadership is that it requires safe, consistent, and effective support. It also requires continuous development and personal self-reflection. Leadership requires good boundaries and the ability to mitigate your own burnout. Lastly, leadership requires accountability – we need to keep our promises and apologise when mistakes are made.

• Lesson 2 – Resilience

The most important lesson I have learned regarding resilience in the face of adversity is to never ever let the task of self-care fall of our to do list. The biggest lesson I have learned is boundary setting. Boundary setting is hard, especially when we have experienced trauma bonding and operate in the fawn defence response. However, you can practice boundary setting with the support of a safe and trusted person.

• Lesson 3 – Passion and Purpose

With regards to maintaining passion and purpose in the face of adversity, the lessons I have learned are the importance of engaging in peer support, but this must be with safe, trusted people that bring glimmers to your life. Be as persistent as you can and know when it’s your time to walk away. Walking away is never a failure – this demonstrates incredible strength and courage.

Looking ahead in your career, what aspirations do you have for advancing trauma-informed practice? 

My aspirations to advancing trauma informed practice include my work as an associate trainer for Epione Training and Consultancy. I feel very blessed to be part of an organisation that educates and shares knowledge on trauma responsive practice.

In addition, I believe that there are many approaches that share similar or complimentary aspects to trauma informed practice. I personally believe that workplace wellbeing could be improved by implementing a unique blend of trauma informed practice, psychological safety, and restorative practice. I think these approaches have the potential to ensure people accountable, strengthen relational cultures, give people a voice and feel safe and empowered to thrive in their workplaces

Lastly, I will continue to talk about glimmers and identify as many as possible in my dairy interactions and encourage you to also try this!

Get acquainted with your glimmers!

Thank you for sharing, Rachael! 

If you’d like to be involved in our Guest Contributor series, please email daisyobrien@forbabyssake.org.uk