#TransformTrauma, a Podcast for the Trauma-Informed Movement

Aligning the Trauma-Informed Approach with Accessibility, Belonging, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice (ABDEIJ)

Episode Summary

Get ready for an informative podcast episode about how trauma-informed care (TIC) and accessibility, belonging, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice (ABDEIJ) are all interconnected. Listeners can expect to gain a deeper understanding of the intersections between TIC and ABDEIJ and insights into assessing and evaluating the presence and impact of these principles within organizations, communities, and institutions. Our guest, Dr. Tonya Myles-Day, Clinical Assistant Professor at the University at Buffalo, School of Social Work, shares experiences that led her to this important work and explains why thinking beyond diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) is crucial.

Episode Notes

Tune in to better understand how TIC and ABDEIJ work together and discover new ways to make the world more welcoming and supportive for everyone!

REFERENCE: ABDEIJ Framework:

• Accessibility: creating environments that enable full participation for the greatest number of people; includes removing physical and attitudinal barriers and providing necessary accommodations to ensure everyone can engage fully and independently in all activities and spaces
• Belonging: experience of feeling secure, supported, and accepted within a community or group; emphasizes emotional connections to foster individual and collective identity
• Diversity: valuing the broad spectrum of human differences, including identity, culture, background, experiences, etc.; highlights the importance of recognizing and respecting these differences as fundamental to enrich interactions, decision-making, and other key processes
• Equity: ensuring equality of outcome, particularly emphasizing addressing and rectifying imbalances that impact groups that have been historically underserved and who continue to be marginalized by our systems and institutions
• Inclusion: active, meaningful engagement of all people in activities and decision-making processes; ensures everyone’s voices are heard and valued, fostering an environment where people from all backgrounds and contexts can contribute and thrive
• Justice: dismantling barriers that prevent fair and compassionate access to and distribution of resources, opportunities, and rights; focuses on correcting systemic inequities and inequalities that hinder individual and collective well-being

REFERENCE: Principles of a Trauma-Informed Approach:

• Safety (physical, psychological, financial, cultural, emotional, social, environmental): creating an environment where all feel secure, stable, and protected against harm (objective or perceived)
• Trustworthiness and Transparency: consistent radical honesty and openness embedded in all decisions and interactions
• Voice, Choice, and Empowerment: promoting an environment where all feel acknowledged and respected for their potential and where they are invited to have key input on decisions and actions that impact their lives
• Collaboration and Mutual Support: building partnerships and sharing power in connections and relationships, enhancing cooperation and coordination
• Peer Support: valuing the role of shared lived experiences and reciprocity in facilitating resilience and recovery within and across groups/systems/settings/structures
• Cultural, Gender, and Historical Issues: recognizing and respecting diverse identities and related intersecting challenges and strengths, acknowledging the impact of these factors on individual and collective experiences, outcomes, and solutions for healing, liberation, and flourishing

RESOURCES:

• Integrating Accessibility and Belonging into Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP)
• To Be Antiracist Is To Be Trauma-Informed (CTIPP)
• Anti-Racism & the Trauma-Informed Movement (CTIPP CAN December 2020)

CTIPP HOSTS: 

• Antron McCullough, Director of Empowerment and Engagement
• Whitney Marris, LCSW, Director of Practice & System Transformation

GUEST:

• Dr. Tonya Myles-Day, Clinical Assistant Professor, University at Buffalo, School of Social Work

Dr. Myles-Day received her BSW degree from Buffalo State University in 2014, her MSW degree from the University at Buffalo, School of Social Work in 2015, and her Doctor of Social Work degree from Simmons University in 2024. Dr. Myles-Day obtained licensure in March 2016, where she practiced as a clinical therapist at Child and Adolescent Treatment Services in Buffalo, NY, now Best Self Behavioral Health, for four years. 

Dr. Myles-Day specialized in individual and family therapy. She has taught Introduction to Social Work, Poverty and Public Policy at Buffalo State University, as well as Assessment and Engagement, Intervention Methods, and Field Seminar I. Dr. Myles-Day has served as the faculty advisor for P.U.L.S.E., Powerful United Ladies Striving to Elevate, where ladies of all demographics come together to Educate, Elevate, and Empower women through a network of support on a cultural, educational, social, and personal level at Buffalo State University.

Dr. Myles-Day teaches Diversity and Oppression, Theories of Organizational Behavior and Development, Valuing Diversity, and Dismantling Blackness: On Becoming Anti-Racist at the University at Buffalo, School of Social Work. Dr. Myles-Day also serves as the faculty liaison for racially underrepresented students, where she assists BIPOC students with navigating the complexities of academia by mentoring and facilitating difficult conversations with students and colleagues regarding issues of race and racism. Dr. Myles-Day has a passion for equality, change, and advocacy for marginalized populations. She has mentored underrepresented youth for the past 20 years with her religious affiliation. Dr. Myles-Day also used this passion to advocate for change for underrepresented youth as the Executive Director of Buffalo Engineering Awareness for Minorities, BEAM, from 2016 to 2018. 

Dr. Myles-Day has recently created a training manual, Advancing DEI in Academia: Anti-Racist Strategies for Breaking Down Implicit and Explicit Racism. This in-person training takes an in-depth approach to understanding diversity, equity, equality, intersectionality, inclusion, and how we can utilize Intersectionality and Critical Race Theory to fully conceptualize anti-racist strategies to foster true inclusion of marginalized populations.

Dr. Myles-Day believes her sense of self-reflection has played a major part in shaping her life. Her willingness to share her experience with others, whether good or bad, is the quality that she feels sets her apart from many. Her transparent life has allowed her to walk in true authenticity and she encourages others to do the same. Social Work gives her the opportunity to give back to her community and the global community holistically.

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#TransformTrauma is a Campaign for Trauma-Informed Policy and Practice (CTIPP) podcast. Through coalition-building, advocacy, and policymaking, we’re building a national movement that integrates community-led, trauma-informed, resilience-focused, and healing-centered prevention and intervention across all sectors and generations. Learn more at ctipp.org.