Northeast Ohio -- When you hear the word “trauma,” you probably think of an isolated incident, like a car accident, that can result in heading to a hospital.
But there’s actually a different type of trauma, one that’s impacting people in your community every day.
MetroHealth’s Rev. Tony Minor calls community trauma the ripple effect that happens in someone’s life after going through adverse challenges.
- Not Typical Trauma
- Caused by Adverse Challenges & Painful Social Conditions
- Incidents can Impact Health & Wellbeing
“It’s the distress that’s also caused by painful social conditions, like poverty, unemployment, and crime," Minor explained.
The cause of trauma is varied, he said.
It can be things like a child experiencing violence or the economic stress a family goes through after a parent loses a job.
Over time, incidents like that can really impact people’s health and wellbeing, especially for those who don’t have a strong network to lean on.
“With a lot of people, they don’t have the support," he said. "They don’t have people they can call to get a ride or to watch their children or to help with food. I think the type of support the faith community can play is the aftercare and that continued care in the long road towards healing.”
He oversees the hospital’s network of faith-based healing circles, groups of churches that come together to grow and learn how to help families in crisis.
MetroHealth also offers various recovery services, including trauma-focused therapy.
“It is designed to support people in crisis and through the crisis so they are better equipped to handle additional crises that may happen in their lives or to make changes or to function after a trauma," said Sarah Hendrickson, manager of MetroHealth's survivor recovery services.
And if you’re looking to do a small part to help reduce stress in your area, Minor encourages getting involved in your community to make sure proper supports are in place for everyone.