Development and implementation of a 2SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care intervention

Abstract

Introduction:

2SLGBTQ+ people are more likely than their heterosexual and/or cisgender peers to experience violence and/or trauma in their lifetime. Many 2SLGBTQ+ people may need support related to experiences of violence and/or trauma. Yet, research has shown that a lack of 2SLGBTQ+ competence and capacity from service providers has resulted in barriers for 2SLGBTQ+ people accessing health and social services. This intervention seeks to fill an important gap by integrating the approaches and principles of trauma-informed care and 2SLGBTQ+ competence.

Method:

The intervention was developed by a team of researchers in consultation with an Indigenous Elder and an advisory committee of service providers. The 2SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care intervention was developed and implemented based on the following principles: centering intersectional perspectives; foregrounding Indigenous perspectives; modeling trauma-informed care; and anti-ableism and accessibility as the rule, rather than exception.

Result:

The training reached a total of 295 participants, and 116 institutions and services across Ontario, Canada.

Conclusion:

A 2SLGBTQ+ competent trauma-informed care intervention has the potential to increase capacity for service providers in healthcare, mental health, and social services to avoid re-traumatization and meet the needs of 2SLGBTQ+ people who have experienced violence and/or trauma.

Keywords:

• LGBTQ+ health
• trauma-informed care
• intersectionality
• trauma

Conflict of interest

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Ethics statement

This project received ethics approval from the Research Ethics Board at the University of Toronto.

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, Michelle W. Tam, upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 Our intervention uses the acronym 2SLGBTQ+, while many professional resources and workshops in our environmental scan used the acronym LGBTQ+. In this paper, we use the acronym LGBTQ+ to describe what we found in the environmental scan.

2 Transmisogynoir is defined as combinations of anti-Black racism, transphobia, and misogyny directed specifically at Black trans women and Black transfeminine people at individual and systemic levels (Bailey & Trudy, 2018). Transmisogyny is defined as combinations of transphobia and misogyny directed toward trans women and other transfeminine people at individual and systemic levels (Serano, 2012). For further definitions, please see definitions available on the training website (www.buildingcompetence.ca) listed under resources.

3 See http://www.buildingcompetence.ca/docs/Module6HandoutPutting2SLGBTQCompetentTraumaInformedCareIntoPracticeFINAL.pdf.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada [grant number: 1819-HQ-000122].