Domestic Violence Providers’ Reflections on Identity, Lived Experience, and Trauma-Informed Practice

It is critical that domestic violence (DV) service providers are trained in providing trauma-informed (TI) supports to their clients. While some work has focused on how personal characteristics, such as self-efficacy and burnout, influence providers’ provision of TI services, little research examines how service providers conceptualize the influence of dimensions of their own identity on their provision of TI care. This practice brief fills this gap, sharing qualitative insights from DV service providers regarding the influence of their identity in the context of TI trainings and service provision. Providers discussed aspects of identity, including lived experience with trauma, cultural/racial identity, parenthood, and physical characteristics, in the context of both strengths and limitations that shape their connection to TI training and care. Recommendations for social workers to inform future workforce development initiatives are discussed.