Building a Trauma Informed Community Endorsements
“The Johnson City model of trauma informed care has been a tremendous inspiration for First Chance Delaware and many of our partners. Understanding trauma is a pre-requisite to any strength-based work with children, families and communities; and a multi-agency public health approach is the only way to get there. The Johnson City System of Care is a great example of how to integrate the development of formal supports with the promotion of public awareness, in a science-based, goal-oriented, and sustainable shift in culture. That’s what cities really need.”
“I would like to extend my sincerest gratitude to you for presenting at our 2023 Annual Conference, ‘Ending Violence: Advocacy in Action.’ You provided us with such a valuable and important message. Our participants were inspired by your passion for this important work and gained new insights to be used in their communities. Among so many wonderful responses, attendees shared your session was the highlight of the whole conference and gave them new resolve and inspiration to take action.”
“Becky Haas brings an exceptional combination of first hand-experience, energy, passion and an in-depth knowledge of the science supporting trauma-informed approaches to her work. What she accomplished in Johnson City serves as one of the most dramatic examples of how a trauma-informed approach can change a community. Her toolkit based on that experience provides an excellent guide for other communities seeking to achieve the same results, as does her training. I receive nothing but raves from the organizations Becky has provided training to. She is a key resource in our mission to make America a trauma-informed country.”
“Becky Haas is a terrific resource for any community beginning to plan a trauma informed system of care. She does a great job making brain science understandable along with the extensive health effects of adverse childhood experiences and other human trauma not buffered by a caring adult. Becky has so many stories from her work, that the numerous applications of a trauma informed system of care can become evident across many sectors – schools, public health, social services, emergency medical services and criminal justice. Her one day in Durham, North Carolina sharing this replicatable model to community leaders and then leading a training for practitioners in the health and social services has helped to galvanize support for moving forward with the development and implementation needed for a Durham Community Resilience Plan.”
“As the Director of SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma Informed Care, I’ve been in conversation with Johnson City Police Department Crime Prevention Programs Coordinator, Becky Haas and East Tennessee State University Psychology Professor, Dr. Andi Clements since 2015 providing guidance and resources as they endeavored to educate the community on Trauma Informed Care. What has resulted has exceeded all expectations for the region embracing and implementing these concepts. In 2014, the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) released a concept paper entitled Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach with the recommendation that communities address trauma by viewing it as an important component of effective behavioral health service delivery. Though many communities across the nation are beginning to implement some of these SAMHSA recommendations, Johnson City clearly stands out as a leader in embracing this model.”
“Although I was initially skeptical when Becky came to me with information about ACEs science, I soon confirmed the scientific support for ACEs as a modifiable risk factor for most of society’s major health and well-being issues. She is a visionary, and as we have trained together and published together over the past several years, I have witnessed a culture change first-hand. We verified that initially only 30% of helping professionals in the region were aware of ACEs, but within a span of three years that increased to the point that over 85% report a working knowledge of ACEs. She has now been given the task of taking the ACEs science and trauma responsiveness message to a 21-county health system and all the school systems within that same area. As if that wasn’t enough, she has trained across the nation and is a sought after, inspirational speaker. The work “at home” is not done, but her reach and ability to inspire others reaches far beyond that.”
Justice and Law Enforcement Endorsements
“Highly recommend Trauma Informed Policing training! The training that Becky Haas provided was informative and compelling. Her style of delivery was received very well. Trauma Informed Policing can make first responders more effective by putting some very practical tools in their toolbox to help understand people and circumstances encountered by members of law enforcement. In the process, officers further benefit by better understanding reactions to trauma experienced personally or by those we know. We ended the training with an emphasis on officer wellness and reviewing local resources for our employees. Very happy we decided to work with Becky and provide this important information to all of our officers.”
“I attended a Trauma Informed Policing Training taught to our recruits in June of 2019. Becky Haas was a very good instructor and presented the material in a straight forward realistic approach for law enforcement. Based on my experience as a crisis negotiator, it is easy to see the correlation and application of these principles to situations officers deal with on a daily basis. More importantly, officers need to recognize the indicators of trauma they experience as part of their job to prevent destructive behaviors in their own lives. I look forward to Becky returning to providing a Train the Trainer for our department so that all of our officers in time will have this vital information.”
“Our partnership with Mrs. Haas and her Trauma Informed Policing Training is bridging the gap between mental health training and combating the effects of violence in our community. The passion for this content displayed by Mrs. Haas has now motivated our officers to ensure they find help for our citizens exposed to trauma.”
“I want to thank you for presenting the National Children Traumatic Stress Network Trauma Informed Care Training to the Judges, Clerks, their deputies, and the staff of the Court Service Unit. I think all of the participants gave some hard thought about the children and families that we serve.”
“As Criminal Court Judge of the First Judicial District I had the privilege of working with Becky Haas to develop a first probation program of its kind for felony offenders with addictions in Tennessee. Though beginning this program from the ground up presented obstacles to overcome within the court, with local law enforcement, probation and parole and other community partners, Becky proved time and again to be an effective communicator in voicing the needs of the reentry population. In 2016, myself, other Judges of the District, our District Attorney and the local justice community were honored to have this program be acquired by the Tennessee Department of Corrections as a model which they have now replicated across the state.”
“Since Delaware became a trauma informed state in 2018 we have been looking to provide our law enforcement with the proper training to support our schools and other agencies in this venture. The training that Becky provided was both appropriate for law enforcement and in line with our “Take Care Delaware” program. I would highly recommend this training to other police agencies.”
Healthcare Endorsement
“As an academic pediatrician, I am responsible for educating future healthcare providers in best practices for supporting the health and well-being of children. Becky Haas has inspired and enabled me to incorporate the field of resilience science into my seminars and clinical teaching. Becky’s training programs, resources, and framework for developing a system of care also inform my work in program development and community advocacy on a daily basis. I admire her engaging presentation style, her ability to relate information and approaches to professionals in a wide range of disciplines, and her contagious enthusiasm for this work. I attended the first cohort of trauma informed care training that Becky did in 2016. Since that time I have witnessed the work she pioneered bring about regional acceptance in almost every professional sector that addressing ACEs is a must for every community.”
“Working with Becky Haas as a trauma informed organizational coach and trainer has been rewarding. When working with our team, she clearly has the skills that promote collaboration and the exchange of ideas. Sullivan County Regional Health Department has learned from her not only as a subject matter expert but from her experience helping organizations move from trauma aware to trauma competent. She is a partner and colleague that has clearly helped us move forward in our TIC journey. Working with Becky has not only been an enriching experience for our department but will help improve our service to the citizens in Sullivan County for many years to come.”
Educational Endorsements
“I’m grateful for the society changing work regarding trauma informed care and building resilience led by Becky Haas. The knowledge she conveys and the passion she exudes makes her presentation one of the most profound I have experienced in my twenty-five-year career as an educator. Becky’s ability to connect with any audience is truly remarkable. Smyth County Virginia Schools are moving closer each day to becoming a trauma informed school division. Becky has trained our entire staff on the life-long impacts of trauma, which is needed to help individuals overcome the trauma they have sustained. She has also provided instructional strategies for our teachers to implement in order to help our students achieve success. The impact of this implementation will be recognized for generations in Smyth County. I would like also to highlight the fact that our community has started the process to becoming trauma informed as well. Becky, once again, was the catalyst for this transaction. She held a public training in our local theatre for all agencies to attend. The response was overwhelming and very moving. The support was surreal and a call to action was issued. I cannot be prouder to be in Smyth County and have the support from local healthcare through Becky Haas who is helping us move toward our goal of making us a more resilient community.”
“My sincere thanks and appreciation for an excellent workshop presented to Dickenson County School leadership. Your words touched my heart, and many people in the room. Principals, school counselors and directors shared with me that this had been time well spent! I loved your passion about children and trauma and how to change school culture. We cannot wait to get our district fully on a path to becoming trauma informed.”
“Since transforming the Science Hill High School Alternative School into an online academy focused on restoring value to students and trauma informed care, student attendance and credits have increased significantly over the last three years. The first year resulted in students earning less than a 100 credits a year to over 1000 credits a year. Attendance increased from approximately 52% a day to 85-88% a day. Becky Haas provided Trauma Informed Care training and ongoing coaching for our staff the entire first year of transition. Her wisdom, sense of humor and passion for helping students provided our Topper Academy staff with a new student focus and renewed sense of value in making a positive difference. The Trauma Informed Care training transformed our school culture and climate very quickly and in a very positive way.”
“On behalf of the Neff Center for Teacher Education, we would like to thank you for presenting our keynote address at the 2022 B.G. Raines Forum. We have received nothing, but positive feedback and we have you to thank. Your partnership in the Forum helped energize the educational community and your remarks were greatly appreciated by all who attended. Your topic was so perfect for the world that we live in today.”