About How we work
Trauma-Informed Support in the Sunshine Coast
Consistency, choice, predictability, and the same workers, introduced before they start. What the phrase means in practice, not on a poster.
A way of working, not a badge
Trauma-informed gets used a lot and means very little unless a provider can say what it changes about how they work. So here is what it changes about ours.
It shapes who we roster: the same workers, introduced before they start, with a backup you have also met. It shapes how we plan: nothing unannounced, changes agreed with you first, and an agreed way to stop that needs no explanation. And it shapes how we talk: asking, not assuming, every time.
It applies to everyone, not just people with a diagnosed trauma history. Most people with disability have had experiences of not being in control. We try not to add to them.
The five things it changes
- Safety
- Familiar people, familiar places, agreed exits
- Choice
- You decide what, when and with whom
- Predictability
- No surprises; changes agreed with you first
- Consistency
- The same workers, introduced before they start
What it looks like day to day
The principles are easy to list. These are the habits.
Introductions first
You meet a worker before they support you. Always.
Written plans
What works and what does not is written down, so it is not relearned by every new person.
Asking, not assuming
Even on things we did last week. Preferences change and so do days.
The exit
An agreed way to pause, stop or leave any situation, no explanation owed.
Staying
A hard week does not change who turns up.
Your history is yours
You share what you want to, when you want to. Workers know what they need to support you well, and no more.
Where we work
Across the Sunshine Coast and Moreton Bay
The same team and the same approach wherever you are. If you are just outside these areas, ask us. We will say yes or no.
Why it matters
Control is the thing most people have lost.
Every part of how we work is designed to give some of it back. That is the whole idea.
- A director with Child Safety and crisis experience shaping the approach
- Every worker briefed on what it means in practice
- Applies to everyone we support, not only those with a diagnosis
- Reviewed with you, not just written once
Questions about how we work
Is every worker trained in this?
Every worker is briefed on what trauma-informed practice means in practice at The Energy, and on the specific needs of each person they support. It is a way of working we hold people to, not a certificate on a wall.
I do not have a trauma history. Does this still apply to me?
Yes. Choice, predictability and consistency are good for everyone. You get the same approach whether or not there is a diagnosis behind it.
What if a worker gets it wrong?
Tell us. We would rather hear it than have you quietly leave. There is a feedback page and it goes to the directors.
Do you offer support specifically for PTSD or complex trauma?
Yes. See the trauma informed support page under Who We Support for how that runs.
Questions about how we work?
Ask. We would rather explain it than have you guess.