Trauma-Informed
Trauma-Smart Leadership™ Training
Lead with empathy. Build resilient teams. Transform compassion into organizational strength.
What Is Trauma-Smart Leadership™?
Trauma-Smart Leadership™ is Shirley Gaudon’s proprietary framework that equips leaders with the neuroscience, psychology, and practical tools to recognize trauma responses in themselves and their teams — and turn them into drivers of trust, innovation, and performance.
Neuroscience-Backed
Understand how trauma affects the brain and decision-making under stress. Create a more cohesive work environment.
Psychological Safety First
Create environments where people feel safe to take risks and speak up. Helps employees to identify trigger responses and practice effective de-escalation.
More Effective Leadership
Lead with more confidence and emotional intelligence (EQ). Identify key markers that allow the appropriate response to any emotionally-charged situation.
What research shows:
- Trauma-informed leadership is gaining traction: Organizational trauma assessments (like Fairfax County’s 2022 report) highlight that leaders who understand trauma can foster safer, more supportive environments, which in turn improves staff morale and retention.
- Employee engagement and burnout are linked to leadership style: Studies from the American Psychological Association and NAMI show that workplaces prioritizing psychological safety and mental health see higher engagement and lower burnout.
- Burnout trends: Research consistently finds that unmanaged stress and lack of recognition drive burnout, while supportive leadership reduces it. Trauma-informed practices—like empathy, transparency, and flexibility—align closely with these protective factors.
- Major workplace polls (APA, NAMI, Gallup) report employees thrive under supportive leadership.
Who This Training Is For:
- Executives & C-Suite leaders who want to future-proof their organizations
- HR directors and People Ops leaders building trauma-informed cultures
- Managers and team leads noticing burnout, conflict, or disengagement
Program Curriculum:
- The Neurobiology of Trauma & Leadership
- Recognizing Trauma Responses in the Workplace
- Self-Regulation Tools for Leaders
- Creating Psychological Safety at Scale
- Trauma-Smart Communication & Feedback
- Leading Through Organizational Change & Crisis
- Building a Trauma-Smart Team Culture
- Implementation Strategies
Ready for your next leadership training?
Contact Shirley now!
Shirley Gaudon. Trauma-Smart Leadership™ is a trademarked program. All rights reserved.