What you'll learn:
- Define trauma
- Recognize various types of trauma
- Understand trauma’s impact on mental and physical health
- Understand the Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) Study
- Describe and understand principles & tenets of Trauma-Informed Care
- Recognize the importance of responding to trauma disclosures appropriately
- Understand the importance of managing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue
Have you ever wondered why someone reacted the way they did — and it just didn't seem to fit the situation?
Trauma doesn't always look like what we expect. It can hide behind anger, silence, people-pleasing, or a "that's fine, I'm fine" that isn't fine at all. And when we don't understand what we're looking at, it's easy to ask the wrong question: "What is wrong with this person?" — instead of the one that actually opens the door to healing: "What might have happened to this person?"
That single shift in perspective is what this course is built around.
I'm a registered nurse with more than 20 years in emergency and trauma care, and in that time I watched people who were already hurting get hurt again — not by bad people, but by good people who simply didn't understand trauma. This course is what I wish every nurse, teacher, parent, manager, and friend had been taught a long time ago.
In this course, you'll learn how to:
Recognize what trauma actually is, and the many forms it can take
Understand how trauma reshapes the brain, body, and stress response — sometimes for years afterward
Understand the landmark ACE (Adverse Childhood Experiences) Study, and why it changed how we think about health
Apply the core principles of trauma-informed care in everyday interactions
Recognize what retraumatization looks like — and how to avoid causing it, even by accident
Know what to say (and what never to say) when someone trusts you with their story
Protect your own heart: recognize compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma before they take over
This course is for you if you're:
A parent, caregiver, or family member trying to understand someone you love
A nurse, social worker, teacher, first responder, or service professional who works with people every day
Someone who has experienced trauma yourself and wants to understand your own story more clearly
Anyone who wants to become a safer, more compassionate presence in someone else's life
No clinical background is required — just an open mind and a willingness to see people differently. Healthcare professionals can also apply the concepts here toward continuing education requirements.
Join over 5,600 students (4.7★ average rating) who've taken this course and come away seeing the people in their lives — and themselves — with new understanding.
