Partnership with people with lived experience is an essential part of being a trauma-informed organization.
Who are people with lived experience?
People with lived experience are youth and adults who live in the community being served, have received services, and/or have experience with trauma and adversity.
Why is partnership with people with lived experience important?
It aligns with the trauma-informed principle of inclusion of the voice of lived experience. Partnership with people with lived experience involves integrating the expertise of those served by systems into organizational transformation, allowing clients to inform the care and services they receive.
Resources on Best Practices for Partnering with People with Lived Experience
A tool created by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation describing different components of ideal engagements with people with lived experience and contrasts them with components of inequitable engagements.
A brief by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services identifying lessons learned and key considerations from a range of methods for engaging individuals with lived experience to improve federal research, policy, and practice.
A YouTube video of a presentation done by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network on the importance of compensation for youth and family partners.
A guide created by Youth Move National and The TA Network for Children's Behavioral Health, which lays out steps and key considerations for recruiting youth partners.
Healing Systems Partnerships with People with Lived Experience
The Building Healing Systems team partnered with community organizations to host five listening sessions to hear from people with lived experience about what is needed to build a healing behavioral health system.
