In the first part of my thesis, I focus on comparing various definitions of trauma as presented in the literature by some chosen Slovenian and foreign authors. I highlight the freedom that authors allow themselves in defining the concept of trauma. Despite their differences, most authors define a traumatic event as an extremely threatening occurrence that elicits a strong sense of fear which individuals find difficult to manage. Furthermore, I explore the concept of complex developmental trauma, encompassing challenging childhood experiences, and also address physical responses to traumatic events that may influence memory formation. Additionally, I discuss secondary trauma and compassion fatigue, common concepts among helping professions. Moving forward, I delve into the trauma-informed care, defining and explaining its fundamental principles. Lastly, I examine how organizations in the field of help can implement the trauma-informed care, emphasizing the crucial meaning of integration of trauma understanding into employees' work practices. The second part of the thesis focuses on the practical aspect of addressing trauma within the context of crisis centers. I present a qualitative research study in which I explore the social work knowledge employees rely on, how quickly and effectively they recognize trauma, and what additional knowledge about trauma they may need. I also explore their familiarity with trauma-informed care, how they implement them in their practice, and their perceptions of the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches. I focus on the impact of the work environment on employees, particularly in terms of compassion fatigue and secondary trauma. Finally, I study how employees take care of their well-being and what forms of support the organization they work for provides.
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