In response to the ongoing challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and in an effort to support OCPA members in a variety of ways, OCPA has rolled out new virtual professional opportunities. One of these initiatives is COVID Corner:
We have both found great knowledge and space for reflection in Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s Trauma Stewardship (2009) which will be the foundation for our work moving forward. We are excited to share this experience with other professionals who are navigating life during COVID-19!
Over the next few months, we will create monthly engagement opportunities through the OCPA newsletter and social media accounts. These installments will include our reflections on content from Trauma Stewardship, a practical application activity, and resources for further exploration. Recognizing that it can be taxing to engage with this material (particularly as we all navigate a traumatic experience), we hope these asynchronous opportunities support our colleagues as we all work diligently to survive this traumatic experience.
An Introduction to the Concept of Trauma Stewardship:
Laura van Dernoot Lipsky defines trauma stewardship as, “A daily practice through which individuals, organizations, and societies tend to the hardship, pain, or trauma experienced by humans, other living beings, or our planet itself. By developing the deep sense of awareness needed to care for ourselves while caring for others and the world around us, we can greatly enhance our potential to work for change, ethically and with integrity, for generations to come.”
Practical Application Activity:
Throughout our exploration of Trauma Stewardship, it has become increasingly clear to us that effective stewardship requires intentional reflection and deep self-work. To this end, each month we will offer a prompt to empower readers to continue to engage with the content of Trauma Stewardship and make meaning of it in their individual context. As an introduction to the work we hope you’ll do with us over the next few months, and in an effort to mitigate the false-positive approach we offer:
- Identify one thing that particularly sucks about the current state of affairs.
- Determine which of the five directions is most salient for you in this space.
- Select one other direction that you’d like to explore and reflect upon further.
- Jot down all or some of these elements you are willing to share on a post-it note and invite your colleagues to join us using the hashtag #OCPAchat
Resources for Further Exploration:
- The Trauma Stewardship Institute share this printable Tiny Survival Guide.
- Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s TEDxTalk “Beyond the Cliff” succinctly captures many of the broad brushstrokes of the book in less than 20 minutes at this link.
- And, of course, the text itself which is available for purchase as a paperback from The Trauma Stewardship website here, as an audiobook download via Audible, and as a FREE e-book download here.
About the Authors:
Jivanto van Hemert and Leah Ward serve as an Area Coordinator and a Community Coordinator, respectively, at the University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio.
Leah was born and raised in Dayton, Ohio and attended Ohio University for her undergraduate and graduate experience. She is an active member in Alpha Kappa Alpha, Sorority Inc. Beta Eta Omega Chapter. You can usually find her in her office or relaxing at home watching her favorite shows!
Jivanto serves as the OCPA Communications Chair and Careers in Student Affairs Conference Chair on the Executive Board of the Ohio College Personnel Association (OCPA). Prior to joining the Flyer Family, Jivanto worked with Student Government at Ohio University (Athens) where he completed a Master's of Education focusing on College Student Personnel. In his free time, Jivanto enjoys volunteering in the greater Dayton area, exploring new restaurants, and traveling but has transitioned to take out, Netflix, and virtual happy hours in the era of COVID-19.
Continue Reading with the July Issue of COVID Corner at this link!