Compassionate Trauma-Informed Workplaces
Compassionate, trauma-informed cultures aren’t just “nice to have” or a tick box exercise – the principles are fundamental for creating environments where people feel safe, trusted, understood, valued and able to thrive. It’s needed in all workplaces – wherever people work with people – and, I believe, at the heart of society too. This is about a way of being, not an additional task to complete.
Compassionate trauma-informed workplaces support sustainability, efficiency and resilience, reduce the risk of burnout and sickness absence, and improve relationships and outcomes for everyone involved. These cultures are lived in practice, not just spoken about. They integrate trauma-informed principles into every aspect of organisational function, with compassion at their core. They prioritise safety, trust, empowerment, and choice, cultivating environments where people can truly flourish rather than simply cope.
While I primarily work with health and social care organisations — where emotional demands are high and embodying compassion is vital for sustainable care and in supporting effective outcomes – the same foundations apply across sectors. Whether in education, public service, community work, or corporate settings, compassion and trauma awareness supports wellbeing, resilience, collaboration, and meaningful connection. While the word ‘resilience’ can sometimes be misunderstood due to its misuse, here it refers to nurturing the capacity to recover, adapt, and sustain wellbeing within compassionate, supportive environments.
Benefits of Compassionate Trauma-Informed Cultures
Workplaces that prioritise compassion and embedding trauma-informed principles experience numerous positive outcomes, including:
Staff Wellbeing:
- Supports nervous system regulation, trust and belonging
- Enhances therapeutic relationship and sustainable care
- Improves wellbeing including mental health
- Reduces work-related stress
- Lowers the risk of burnout and vicarious trauma
- Increases work satisfaction
Organisational Outcomes:
- Improved productivity
- Decreased sickness absence and staff turnover
- Supports maintaining healthy boundaries
- Stronger team dynamics, communication, and collaboration
- Enhances service user experiences and outcomes
Impact on Service Users:
- Supports nervous system regulation
- Decreases risk of re-traumatisation
- Improves engagement with services
- Enhances satisfaction and care outcomes
- Promotes healing and recovery
What I Offer
I support organisations to embed compassionate, trauma-informed principles into leadership teams, within team dynamics, and workplace culture in general. Offerings include:
- One off talks and workshops (e.g. What is a Compassionate, Trauma-Informed Workplace & Why Does it Matter?)
- Workshop Series (e.g. 4-week Stress Management, 4-week Nervous System Regulation, 8-week Embodied Compassion)
- 1:1 Specialist Physiotherapy & Integrative Somatic Therapy (the former is for staff experiencing persistent pain and fatigue)
- Bespoke workplace wellbeing workshops tailored to your organisations needs
All offerings are available online, with in-person delivery possible locally depending on availability and location. Please get in touch to discuss your organisation’s needs and for the full range of options.
Trauma-Informed Compassionate Workplaces
At the core of this is compassion – essential for human connection, nervous system regulation, physical and mental health, and the prevention, reduction, and alleviation of suffering.
Within compassion-focused therapy, compassion has two parts: a recognition of suffering and taking action to prevent or alleviate it. In compassionate trauma-informed workplaces, these elements, along with the broader qualities of compassion, are embodied at every level of the organisation. Every person’s knowledge, strengths, and skills are valued and used effectively, contributing to a more collaborative, resilient, and sustainable work environment.
Cultivating compassion creates a positive cycle – it has a ripple effect. Nurturing it individually and collectively helps build more compassionate workplaces, systems, and society.
Alongside compassion, trauma-informed practice is guided by six core principles that provide a framework for helping to create safe, empowering, and inclusive workplaces:
- Safety – prioritising physical, emotional, and relational safety
- Trustworthiness and Transparency – clear boundaries, honesty, and consistency
- Choice – empowering individuals with autonomy and options
- Collaboration – building healing relationships through partnership
- Empowerment – focusing on strengths, skills, and resilience
- Cultural, Historical and Gender Awareness – Recognising systemic influences and encouraging sensitivity for lived experience.
Combining compassion and trauma-informed principles supports staff wellbeing, resilience, collaboration, and meaningful connection. Explore trauma-informed practice in greater detail here
My Approach
I bring together professional expertise as a Pain & Fatigue Specialist Physiotherapist and Integrative Somatic Practitioner, lived experience, scientific understanding, and wisdom traditions to support workplaces in becoming more compassionate, trauma-informed and sustainable. Alongside my physiotherapy background, I have trained extensively to create an integrative approach, including: Compassion Focused Therapy, Trauma-Informed Mindfulness, Life Coaching, and integrative Breathwork practices to support functional breathing and optimal system regulation. You can find more about my qualifications here:
I have delivered numerous trainings and workshops for healthcare staff, people living with neurological conditions, and those experiencing persistent pain, anxiety, and fatigue. Attendees consistently reported significant benefits related to wellbeing and daily life. I also previously ran workplace wellbeing sessions through a national initiative, receiving excellent feedback. I now bring this experience together in workplace-specific programmes designed to reduce stress, improve sustainability, and cultivate compassionate, trauma-informed leadership and team culture.
My work starts with practical, tailored support — cultivating self-awareness and compassion in every interaction across an organisation. I collaborate with teams through a blend of education, leadership development, and integrative somatic wellbeing sessions, embedding the principles into everyday workplace culture and beyond. This is not simply something to do, it’s a way of being. Together we focus on creating change from the inside out, supporting systemic shifts through collaboration.
Who Is This For?
This approach is designed for organisations that value connection, compassion, staff wellbeing, and workplace sustainability. My primary focus is on health and social care, though these principles benefit workplaces in every sector.
Next Steps / How to Get Started
If this work resonates with you and you’d like to explore how it could support your organisation:
- Email Ann: info@unityphysio.co.uk
- Call Ann: 07871240188
- You can also use the Book now button at the bottom of the page to send a message.
Location
You can arrange a virtual appointment for anywhere in the UK or an in person appointment in North Hykeham, Lincoln.
Get in touch
If you would like to find out how Ann can help manage and change fatigue, do what you love, live well and thrive again get in touch to book your appointment, or a free 15 minute call to help you decide if working with Ann is right for you.