That’s not very Trauma-Informed of you!

Recently a video has been circulating in social media. If you follow health care providers, like RMTs, physiotherapists, or chiropractors, maybe you’ve seen it.

It features a PT smiling and nodding while listening to a patient. The video is overdubbed with a cringy sounding “old lady” voice of someone recanting a difficult story. The caption of the video is along the lines of “omg when they keep trauma dumping during our appointment it’s so annoying.” There’s a vibe of judgement and making fun of the patient and that we should 1) feel sorry for the PT who is “stuck listening” to this person and 2) like, obviously this patient is such a whiner, so gross, 🙄🤮

Not very trauma-informed.

And while the insensitivity of it and TOTAL lack of empathy is 🤮 that’s not even the worst part (though it’s pretty awful). The worst part is that it presents a lot of context.

Patient stories matter not just because it enables us to build rapport and connection (which will foster trust in our patient relationships) but it also gives us a peek into their day to day lives. What challenges do they face daily, who is in their household with them, and what demands do they deal with on their time, energy, and money. This information can help us help our patients set realistic goals, and collaborate on treatment plans that are doable for them. We all know our patients are actually the greatest resource for change in their lives, it helps if we know something about the demands placed on that resource.

I’m writing a course currently on trauma informed care and I initially, as a joke, named it “how to not be an asshole for RMTs.” While it has a more boring title now (trauma informed care for RMTs) the video mentioned is a prime example of what not to do.

Don’t make fun of your patients. Do learn how to redirect a conversation. Do learn how to direct people towards appropriate professionals and explain the limits of your care —

“as an RMT I do not have the scope of practice nor the training needed to take care of you or myself when receiving very painful or upsetting stories. I believe you need to be heard by the right person — have you considered talking to a therapist? Here’s a few business cards of people I trust.”

It can be as easy as that. No need to receive a story you do not have skill or capacity for, no need to be an asshole.