I'm not sure if it was all the popcorn imagery I've used in the past week with my FILL YOUR CUP 3-day webinar series, but, Friday night I was hankering for some homemade popcorn.

Whenever I make popcorn, I think of my mom.  When we were little she would make a big pot of buttered popcorn on the kitchen stove and then dole it into little paper lunch bags for each of us (there were 7 of us) before piling us all into the car and driving down to the neighborhood drive-in theater.

I can remember  me  and my brothers and sisters sitting in the way back of the family station wagon stuffing our faces with that buttery goodness, greasy fingers and all, grinning from ear-to-ear as we watched Sleeping Beauty on the drive-in movie screen. 

So, needless to say I get all nostalgic when I make popcorn now and I always, follow my mom's 'recipe'.  The recipe was very cavalier yet precise, or at least that's how I remember it.  Pour enough vegetable oil needed to cover the bottom of the pot to create a layer of oil, then pour enough popcorn seeds to cover the layer of oil. Fire up the burner, pop the lid on and wait for those first few kernels to start popping and then my mom (and now I) lift the pot up off the high burner flame, just a bit, and gentle shake the pot in order to pop all the kernels but keep the popped ones from burning.

I have used this technique religiously throughout my corn popping days and it has never failed  me.  Enter in the popcorn boss (that's him, on the right).

Apparently I haven't been making the popcorn the 'right way'.  The popcorn boss wants  me  to measure the oil with a measuring cup and even measure out how many kernels to put into the pot.  And, as if that's not enough bossiness, there is apparently a special way to melt the butter and prepare the popcorn before serving.

To be honest, my popcorn boss usually makes the popcorn in our house and I just assumed he made it the way my mother and I made it.  It wasn't until Friday night that I got the low down on the 'correct' way to make buttered popcorn.

Even though this person (no need for names 😉) explained every step in his process with great care I was really bothered that he felt it necessary to school  me  on how to make popcorn - it's popcorn, it's pretty basic, right?

But, then I was reminded about how I used to get when I would teach folks about developmental care practices and how frustrated I would get when they wouldn't do exactly what I was telling them to do; even when I explained why my way was the right way.

Sound familiar?

NO ONE likes to be told what to do (especially when they haven't asked for help) and this reality can make it difficult for those of us who are passionate to make the changes we know are necessary to embrace a trauma informed paradigm.

To be trauma informed you have to become trauma informed. You have to understand that everyone is doing the best they can in any and every given moment.  Showing someone how to 'do' developmental positioning isn't being trauma informed. 

Becoming trauma informed BEGINS WITH YOU and only then are you able to be a light for others.

Not YOU the nurse, the doctor, or the therapist, but YOU the vulnerable human being trying to do the very best YOU can in every single moment of your life.

Being trauma informed begins with becoming reacquainted with what it is to be human, what it is to be YOU and uncover the highest expression of the who you are here to become.

It can feel wicked frustrating, it can feel like you will never get to where you want to go, but please trust  me  - an inch is a cinch, a yard is too hard. 

Begin with yourself and discover you won't need to be a popcorn boss, you won't need to tell people what to do, instead you will inspire them, encourage them and mentor them on their journey to become the highest expression of who they are called to be.

Q.  What is a Trauma Informed Professional and why is it so important?

A.  A Trauma Informed Professional realizes the pervasiveness of trauma in everyday life, recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in self and others.  This individual responds to trauma with the intention of mitigating and buffering the trauma experience while also resisting retraumatization of self and other.   In caring for critically ill infants and their families the goal of the Trauma Informed professional is to help these vulnerable individuals live wholly, live through their disease, through their crisis, through their trauma; not just to survive their experience but to thrive and flourish.

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Q . How do you maintain certification? 

A . This program is not a certification but an assessment-based certificate program as outlined by the  Institute for Credentialing Excellence . Once you successfully complete all the requirements of the program and pass the final exam you are a recognized Trauma Informed professional for life. There are no maintenance requirements except to live and lead your life as a Trauma Informed Professional.

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Q.  What time commitment will this realistically require?   

A . We have set an expectation that folks will finish the program within 6 months, which means by the end of 6 months you will be ready to take the final exam - which is open book. You could theoretically finish the program in as quickly as 8 weeks, however, if you chose to complete the program in 6 months, the time commitment is approximately 2 hours per week.

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Q . If I become a Trauma Informed Professional how can I take this forward to others in my network to optimize outcomes? 

A.  Never underestimate the power of role modeling.  As you progress through the program you will build confidence as an advocate for change. As you wrap up the program you will have all the essential ingredients to be a confident and knowledgeable leader for change in your unit and in your life. Every single patient encounter is an invitation and opportunity to bring your best self forward; to truly emulate what it is to be a Trauma Informed Professional.

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For more information about the Trauma Informed Professional Certificate Program  LEARN MORE

Thanks for reading  me  today.  I hope you will consider joining over 100 of your colleagues on the journey to become a Trauma Informed Professional

Stay safe.

Take care and care well, 

Mary