Implementing trauma-responsive design principles within organizational spaces can feel both ambitious and complex. Organizations often encounter practical questions, competing priorities, and logistical challenges that can make meaningful environmental change seem out of reach. While research on trauma-responsive design continues to grow, much of the available literature can feel removed from the realities of planning, funding, and implementing changes in everyday service settings.
Join us for an interactive community discussion with Andrea Farina, PhD, Vice President of Program Strategy & Initiatives at St. Francis House in Boston, Massachusetts, as she shares her organization's journey in transforming its physical environment into a nationally recognized model of trauma-responsive design. Drawing from first-hand experience, Dr. Farina will discuss the successes, challenges, and lessons learned throughout the process.
In this roundtable conversation, facilitated by David Stanley, LCSW, Director of Adult Trauma Services at the Institute for Health and Recovery, we will explore how organizations can assess the need for environmental change, build support among stakeholders, navigate the planning and implementation process, and evaluate the impact of design changes on clients, staff, and organizational culture. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in discussion, ask questions, and gain practical strategies that can be adapted to their own settings.
Click Here to read this PBS article about the exciting changes at St. Francis House.
This training is intended for anyone involved in organization-level changes, including clinical practitioners, state and local officials, policymakers, and members of leadership.
At the end of this session participants will be able to:
- Identify key considerations for assessing the need for trauma-responsive environmental changes within organizational settings.
- Describe practical strategies for planning, implementing, and sustaining trauma-responsive design initiatives.
- Explore approaches to evaluate the impact of these changes.
Speaker: Andrea Farina, PhD, St. Francis House
Host: David Stanley, LCSW, Director of Adult Trauma Services, Institute for Health and Recovery