Baltimore City is undergoing a cultural shift in the way it approaches trauma and violence in the community.
As part of that shift, senior city officials and employees who deal with the public have begun undergoing required training sessions in what’s called trauma-informed care.
That’s an approach to healing someone who’s had a traumatic experience without re-traumatizing the person and acknowledging that trauma can be widespread in a community.
The sessions are led by the city health department and various community organizations. Members of the media were invited to a recent sample training, which began with a five-minute breathing exercise led by Atman Smith.
Smith is one of the co-founders of the Holistic Life Foundation, a Baltimore nonprofit that teaches yoga and mindfulness.
