Trauma-Informed Theology
Building Trauma-Informed Worshipping Communities.
To experience suffering and trauma is part of the human experience which sadly nobody is immune to. This is not a new experience, as we see in the Biblical narrative in both the Old and New Testaments a story of the search for justice, hope and healing in the face of the injustice of trauma. The Bible is the story of the search for an explanation and answer for the suffering experienced in the world in the face of the good and loving creator of the universe.
Arguably, Jesus is not, and should not, be removed from issues of trauma, pain and suffering and with more and more people turning to our churches for pastoral support and healing of their trauma pain our theology, doctrines and pastoral practices can not ignore these issues. Instead, our theology and pastoral practices must be informed and shaped by the lived experiences of those who have survived trauma.
This website seeks to equip and educate our worshipping communities to be informed of the issues of trauma to be able to adequately provide pastoral care to Christian trauma survivors.
Recognising Trauma and the Practical Implications for Christians.
Building Trauma Informed Worshipping Communities.
Trauma is a complex and often misunderstood phenomenon. It is not removed from the church or Christian theology. In the context of the church, and pastoral care, recognising and understanding trauma is crucial.
This section aims to shed light on the practical implications of trauma within a church setting and how and why it has an impact on pastoral practices and theology.
Let's delve into this important topic together.
Weekly Trauma-Informed Blog
This blog is updated every week with a new post around some aspect of trauma-informed theology.
Trauma-Informed Theology Resources
Free educational resources are available to download.
Click on the images below to learn more and download.
Joanna Naomi Douglas
Joanna Naomi Douglas is a PhD candidate currently conducting research into trauma-informed theology.
As well as wanting to provide resources to equip and train pastoral leaders to build trauma-informed worshipping communities Joanna has made this website to be her home as an academic researcher. Please read below for more information about Joanna and her academic research.
Joanna Naomi Douglas
MA, PGCE, BA (Hons).
As a practising Christian and having overcome her own trauma-related mental health issues Joanna Naomi Douglas is passionate about trauma-informed theology and building trauma-informed worshipping communities.
Joanna is a qualified teacher working with students living with complex social, emotional, educational, and trauma-related mental health needs. Alongside her teaching role, Joanna is currently pursuing a PhD in trauma-informed theology having previously gained a Master degree in this field.
Joanna believes that trauma-informed theology, which combines studies of psychology and theology, is a vital area of research. Joanna aims to make this research accessible to all Christians in a way that equips our Christian worshipping communities to appropriately and adequately support trauma survivors in our congregations.
Joanna has set up this website to meet this aim and is her homepage as an academic researcher.
