Inspired by a symposium we hosted earlier this year called ?Beyond Compassion: Caring for Women with a History of Trauma,? and driven to spread lessons learned through love and art, we created this manifesto for you.
Film description: ?Driven by the desire for custody of their children, five mothers struggle to overcome substance use disorders in a gender-responsive treatment program. Their intimate story reveals experiences with domestic violence, [sex work], incarceration and complex intergenerational relations. On Life?s Terms: Mothers in Recovery interweaves the women?s three-year journey to self-sufficiency and newfound pride with drug laws that impact mother and child, and will inspire hope for recovery.?
This inspirational session weaves together learnings from the day, touching on trauma-informed care, disclosure, criminalization, stigma, and resiliency. Using her expertise in organizational consulting, she charges attendees to make change from the seat they sit in.
?Many times the patients that are most ?difficult? are those who?ve had sexual trauma. She isn?t hard, she?s had a hard life?the body of a survivor remembers those traumatic experiences…she knows that other providers have found her to be a hard patient, so if you change the way you see her, then maybe she?ll change the way she sees herself in that dynamic.?
?I had a fear of being alone?The stigma was huge. I had more internal stigma than external stigma?I stayed out of relationships because I didn?t want to disclose.?