AHW-Funded Project Creates Trauma-Informed Healthcare Training for Wisconsin Medical Staff

Trauma significantly impacts public health in Wisconsin, with research showing that adverse life experiences can lead to long-term health problems and increased healthcare utilization. Studies estimate that up to 70% of adults have experienced at least one traumatic event, and these experiences can affect how patients respond to medical care, potentially leading to poor outcomes, treatment avoidance, or re-traumatization during routine procedures. For healthcare systems, addressing trauma effectively is not just a compassionate approach—it's a critical component of quality care.

With this understanding, the Medical College of Wisconsin's (MCW) Courtney Barry, PsyD, MS, and Terri deRoon-Cassini, PhD, launched the "Moving to Healing" project to develop trauma-informed care training for healthcare professionals. The Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment (AHW) provided $199,999 to fund this 30-month initiative that began in July 2022. The project focuses on Froedtert Hospital and MCW's Trauma and Acute Care Surgery Division and 2NT Unit, creating training that helps medical staff better serve patients with trauma histories while also protecting providers from burnout and vicarious trauma.

The Critical Need for Trauma-Informed Care

Healthcare providers in Wisconsin encounter patients with trauma histories almost daily, often without recognizing it. Past traumatic experiences can greatly affect how patients respond to medical care. Without proper training, healthcare workers might unknowingly trigger distress in patients with trauma backgrounds, missing opportunities to support healing.

Additionally, medical staff who regularly work with trauma survivors can experience "vicarious trauma"–absorbing some of the emotional impact from their patients' experiences. This can lead to burnout and compassion fatigue, affecting both provider well-being and the quality of care they deliver.

Sydney Timmer-Murillo, PhD, a psychologist in the trauma and acute care surgery division, joined the project during her fellowship. "When they mentioned this project, I was eager to participate," she explained. "We want to support our patients as much as possible, knowing that trauma affects people in many different ways."

Project Development and Collaboration

"I've always had an interest in trauma and trauma-informed care," said Barry. "We came together to develop this training because we saw a clear need for it within the healthcare system."

Before creating their training materials, the team first needed to understand what education already existed and where the gaps were. Barry explained, "Throughout the system, some training was happening, but it wasn't well connected. There were occasional one-off sessions people could attend, but they weren't really practical for daily patient care."

Timmer-Murillo noted that training varied widely across different healthcare roles: "Nursing education might include some trauma-informed care training. But for doctors, physical therapists, or security staff, there wasn't any consistent training." This inconsistency meant patients might receive trauma-sensitive care from some staff but not others.

Building from the Ground Up

With funding secured, the team began by conducting focus groups and interviews with healthcare staff to understand what they needed from the training.

"We also tried to interview patients about their experiences," Barry explained. "This proved challenging since many patients weren't interested in participating in surveys after their hospital stay." Timmer-Murillo added that this was an important lesson: "Patients who are focusing on physical recovery often can't prioritize participating in research."

A key challenge was creating training that would be thorough yet practical for busy healthcare workers.

"Everyone in healthcare is already overloaded with work," said Timmer-Murillo. "We didn't want this to feel like just another box-checking exercise. We wanted people to see it as something doable—small adjustments to their care approach that they'd feel motivated to adopt."

Creating an Impactful Training Experience

The team worked with Froedtert's Learning Center to develop training materials that would resonate with staff. Rather than using generic videos with actors, they featured actual hospital providers in their training videos.

"We wanted to show real healthcare workers that staff would recognize," Barry explained. "This helps the training feel relevant and connected to their daily work environment, not just another generic module."

The team made an interesting discovery during their research: the collaborative aspect of trauma-informed care was especially important to staff.

"In our conversations, we learned that what providers valued most was the team approach," said Timmer-Murillo. "Rather than just showing a one-on-one patient interaction, we created videos demonstrating how an entire healthcare team can discuss and implement trauma-informed approaches together. This better reflected how care actually happens in their units."

Moving Forward: Implementation and Impact

The training module was added to Froedtert's learning system and launched in January 2025. Knowing that one-time online trainings often have limited impact, the team created an additional in-person workshop that was incorporated into regular staff meetings.

"We didn't want this to be just another online module that people complete and forget," Barry explained. "The in-person workshops let staff discuss how to apply these concepts with the specific patient populations they work with."

The project team is particularly proud of how authentic the training videos turned out. "The videos weren't scripted," Timmer-Murillo shared. "We simply gave the healthcare team a case scenario and let them demonstrate their approach. It was remarkable to see them naturally incorporate trauma-informed principles."

Barry was encouraged by leadership support: "The 2NT unit took the lead and became a model for other hospital departments. Their leadership readily endorsed the training, which helped with adoption throughout the system."

A Foundation for Future Health in Wisconsin

The Moving to Healing project has created a practical model for trauma-informed care training that can grow beyond its initial departments. The program helps healthcare workers recognize trauma responses in patients and respond in ways that support healing rather than trigger distress. This approach is especially important for vulnerable populations who may have experienced higher rates of trauma.

"We're grateful for this funding opportunity because this work is truly important," Barry reflected. "Giving healthcare providers tools to better serve patients while also protecting their own well-being—that creates positive change for everyone involved."

The project team hopes this training will continue to expand throughout Wisconsin's healthcare systems. By building trauma awareness into standard medical education and practice, healthcare providers can create safer, more effective healing environments for all patients, regardless of their past experiences.