This month, Maria Benzekri, social worker at Goodwin and a member of the TIC Team, recommends an easy-to-read TIC book.

I highly recommend What Happened to You? by Bruce Perry, MD, PhD, and Oprah Winfrey. Along with its easy-to-read chapters that are formatted as a discussion, filled with surprising statistics and analogies, this book equips its readers with the necessary tools for identifying trauma and the behaviors that result from it. Here are a few excerpts:

In its essence, trauma is the lasting effects of emotional shock. If left unexamined, it can have long-term physical, emotional, and social consequences. Oprah and Dr. Perry go on to explain: There are a myriad of daily actions each of us take throughout our lives that are a result of trauma. These are actions that, on the surface, look like poor decisions, bad habits, self-sabotage and self-destruction – the actions that cause other people to judge.

Fortunately, there is a way forward.

Positive interactions with people are rewarding and regulating. Without connection to people who care for you, spend time with you, and support you, it is almost impossible to step away from any form of unhealthy reward and regulation. Connectedness counters the pull of addictive behaviors. It is the key.

Lending a listening ear, connecting patients to a social worker for community resources, generating a referral to behavioral-health services at our health centers or elsewhere, are all examples of how to show support in a meaningful way.