Tag Archives: trauma

Season 4 Episode 4: Missional Resilience with Goeff Whiteman; Listening to Member Care.

Posted on by under Cross Cultural, Mental Health, podcast, Podcast, Shop Talk, Uncategorized

Brandi and James welcome back Geoff Whiteman, ThM, LMFT, to discuss missional resilience and what he has learned from his most recent study listening to member care professionals. You can learn more and get in touch with Geoff at www.resilientglobalworker.org

“At the end of our grit, missional resilience really flourishes, and we come to the end of ourselves. It’s as if then our hands are open to receive Jesus’ resilience” -Geoff

We made preventing attrition the goal for member care, which misses the mark. Preventable attrition isn’t a way to ‘score a point’ but to ‘lose a point’, then suddenly the field of play is very small and possessive. It becomes a game we cannot win but can only lose. Attrition is the wrong measurement of success and failure, especially for staff care. Taking an internal responsibility for something outside of one’s control results in wounding or pain over which we do not have responsibility. For example, someone we care for leaves. This is a form of moral injury, and that pain is really painful for staff care providers.

Flourishing is a better benchmark for measuring the success of staff care. Navigating the liminal spaces of flourishing and challenge is a far better goal and direction for staff care providers.

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Season 3 Episode 12: 2023 Wrap up

Posted on by under Cross Cultural, Mental Health, podcast, Podcast, Shop Talk, Uncategorized

Join Brandi and James as they wrap up 2023 with some highlights, trends, and what they look forward to next year. One way to incorporate this same idea yourself or with your family would be through the practice of an Examen. Pausing to notice the highs and lows of the year and to write down things that are worth holding on to.

Resources

The Ignatian Examen

St. Ignatius invites us to find God in all things. That means we have to pay careful attention to how the Spirit is moving in each moment of our daily lives. We have to take a magnifying glass to the seemingly ordinary, seeking to encounter the Divine. 

That’s why the Examen is such a powerful prayer. In it, we’re invited to encounter God, express gratitude for the gift and gifts of each day, and to commit to make up for any mistakes we may have made. 

The Examen is a flexible prayer, too, responding to the signs of the times. Below, you’ll find several variations to meet your need in this moment

Ignatian Exercises

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Essentials for People Care and Development

Practical insights and activities to help your organization build a thriving culture.

Finding, sending, and caring for missionaries has grown increasingly complex for mission leaders and staff. The mission world is more multicultural and global crises seem to be more frequent. And we can no longer make the same assumptions about shared values which can open the door for legal difficulties. We all want to see ministry staff thriving and serving the kingdom to their full potential, but how can we support that? In this book, you will be able to dig deeper into these fundamental issues and more.

Member care workers collaborated with us to bring practical insights that will help you and your agencies. No matter where you fit on the spectrum of care – a concerned pastor, missionary colleague, or ministry leader all the way to a professional services provider – this book and its contents will help you implement improvements in caring for ministry staff.

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Season 3 Episode 9: Autism and Neurodivergence among Cross-Cultural Workers and their Families.

Posted on by under Cross Cultural, Mental Health, podcast, Podcast, Shop Talk

Join Brandi and James as they interview Chyrl Mullins, an Educational Consultant with Wycliffe. They talk about Autism spectrum signs, symptoms, and treatments. They also look at how to navigate the world of ASD from the perspective of families and co-workers. Understanding more about neurodivergence and the range of experience with ASD increases the grace and capacity of neurotypical people in their families and communities.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/23154-neurodivergent

https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism

Season 3 Episode 7: Trauma-Informed Staff Care

Posted on by under Cross Cultural, Mental Health, podcast, Podcast, Shop Talk, Uncategorized

What is Trauma? 

“Trauma is a deep wound of the heart and mind that takes a long time to heal. It hurts every part of our lives: how we relate to others, how our body feels, what we think about, and how much we can trust God. It can make us feel separated from God and others” – Trauma Healing Institute 

Further Reading and Learning:

  • The Body Keeps The Score by  Bessel van der Kolk
  • The Trauma Healing Institute

Trauma-Informed Staff Care

  1. Increased Trauma Awareness 
    1. Realize the widespread impact of trauma and understand paths for recovery
    1. Recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma
    1. Actively avoid re-traumatization
  2. Provide Safety 
    1. Provide avenues for psychological safety
    1. Mitigate power differentials
    1. Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices
  3. Empower People to Make Choices 
    1. Look
    1. Listen
    1. Link
  4. Focus on Strengths 
    1. Coach don’t counsel
    1. Be vulnerable, because it lowers our amour and that of those around us. 
    1. Normalize and Affirm 
  5. Understand Roles and Make Referrals 
    1. Who is my client and What is my role?
    1. Acknowledge and reframe (emotions are ok, behavior may not be)
    1. Coach towards help and make referrals

Further Reading and Learning: 

New Book!

Essentials for People Care and Development: A Collection of Best Practices, Research, Reflections, and Strategies (Missio Nexus Improve Series):
by  Geoff Whiteman  (Author), Heather Pubols  (Editor) Buy it now on Amazon

Season 2 Episode 8: Trauma with Dr. Phil Monroe

Posted on by under Cross Cultural, Mental Health, podcast, Podcast, Shop Talk

Join Brandi and James as they interview Dr. Phil Monroe with Langberg, Monroe and Associates about trauma. Dr. Philip Monroe leads Langberg, Monroe & Associates and is a psychologist with three decades of clinical experience. His personal, professional, and spiritual musings may be found at http://www.philipmonroe.com.

“Trauma is a wound of the heart that affects every part of our being; our bodies, minds and hearts. It takes a long time to heal. Trauma is not an event so much as it is an experience. Trauma is the experience people have when they are overwhelmed and cannot cope. The effect someone has from that experience best defines long term trauma.”

“When we talk about trauma we are talking about an ongoing, long lasting effect. It may be soon after an event or experience or it maybe a years and decades later that it starts to show up.”

Resources

Dr. Diane Langberg

  • Diane Langberg’s Youtube Channel
  • Suffering and the Heart of God (Book)
  • In our Lives First (Devotional)

Jenena Fisher

Trauma Healing Institute https://traumahealinginstitute.org