The Intersection of Trauma-Informed Approaches and Quality Improvement

This workshop is a post-conference session of SPARK 2025 in Chicago, but registration is separate from the conference.

We know that data-informed decision making and continuous quality improvement (CQI) are critical to the success of any change initiative—including our trauma-informed efforts. However, two key barriers often hinder our ability to integrate a trauma-informed lens into data collection:

1. Emotional Resistance to Data Work– Clinical and program staff often avoid data collection because it can activate a survival response, making it difficult to stay engaged in the process.
2. Uncertainty About What to Measure – Organizations struggle to identify the right data that truly captures the essence and impact of trauma-informed approaches.

Join us for this workshop, where we will explore strategies to overcome both barriers.

By applying a trauma-informed perspective, we can reframe the conversation around quality improvement—from asking, “Why aren’t you embracing CQI?” to “What’s happening that’s preventing you from engaging?” Quality improvement in human services organizations is a centralized function that relies on data to drive meaningful outcomes. The way data teams collaborate with clinical and program staff is crucial in breaking down barriers, fostering trust, and using data technology to create positive, lasting change.

We also need to determine what data best measures the impact of our trauma-informed efforts and consider:

• How do we quantify whether staff are consistently using trauma-informed approaches?
• Are we effectively including all voices in our initiatives?
• Are our staff development processes leading to meaningful organizational culture change?
• Do staff and clients experience our environments as safe and supportive?

By using a trauma-informed approach with clinical staff who are charged with data processes, and by leveraging the right data, we can move beyond assumptions and ensure that our trauma-informed strategies are making a tangible difference.

Join us to be a part of this essential conversation and take your data collection and trauma-informed efforts to the next level.

Takeaways

• Common triggers associated with data and quality improvement for clinical staff
• The brain science behind the “window of tolerance”
• How to use the “window of tolerance” as a guide for keeping clinical teams in optimal creative problem solving
• How to identify and select the right metrics to effectively measure the impact of their trauma-informed efforts
• Steps to encourage buy-in and develop shared language to add the “human” aspect into data collection

Who Should Participate

• Quality improvement professionals looking to increase collaboration with program staff
• Quality improvement supervisors
• Quality improvement staff who feel they are spinning their wheels