Dr Sandra Bloom on the unfolding paradigm shift in mental health towards "trauma informed care"

Perth Indymedia

Dr Sandra Bloom is an American mental health activist, psychiatrist and Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy at Drexel University. She is the creator of the "Sanctuary model" of therapeutic care which is now a prevalent approach to mental health in the USA, Australia and around the world. "A traumatic experience impacts the entire person – the way we think, the way we learn, the way we remember things, the way we feel about ourselves, the way we feel about other people, and the way we make sense of the world..." The Sanctuary model is an approach to mental health care which promotes safety and recovery from adversity through the active creation of a trauma-informed community. A recognition that trauma is pervasive in the experience of human beings forms the basis for the Sanctuary Model's focus not only on the people who seek treatment, but equally on the people and systems who provide that treatment. Karun Cowper spoke to Dr Bloom about the unfolding paradigm shift in our understanding and treatment of mental health towards "trauma informed care" as embodied in models such as the Sanctuary model and also about the importance of political activism to challenge powerful interests that create trauma in the first place.