Creating a trauma-informed women’s ministry, whether it be a small group, a moms’ ministry, a Bible study, or a retreat, is necessary for two reasons:
- Women are more likely to face some of the most impactful types of trauma, such as sexual violence and childhood trauma.
- Women are more likely than men to seek support from others when facing trauma. Not receiving that support tends to impact women more negatively than men.
By intentionally being trauma-informed in women’s ministry, we can be places of support and healing for women facing trauma.
Being a trauma-informed ministry involves following three principles:
- Growing in knowledge about trauma and its impacts, healing resources, and retraumatization
- Creating environments that are the opposite of trauma by prioritizing safety, regulation, control, and positive relationships
- Intentionally building resilience, an ability that can help people heal from trauma.
You can learn about the general principles of trauma-informed ministry here.
In this article, we’ll discuss specific ways to apply these principles of trauma-informed ministry to women’s ministry.
The Knowledge Principle in Trauma-Informed Women’s Ministry
The first step in creating a trauma-informed women’s ministry is to increase your knowledge of the impacts of trauma on women in particular.
Trauma can impact anyone regardless of whether they are a man or a woman. However, researchers have found that the prevalence of different types of trauma can vary by sex.
For women in general, researchers have found that intimate partner violence, sexual violence and harassment, and childhood trauma are more common for them than for men.
- 81% of women experience sexual assault and harassment in their lifetimes vs. 43% of men (NSVRC)
- 1 in 3 women experience intimate partner violence (WHO)
- Women tend to have higher ACE scores than men (see this article).
Additionally, women are more likely than men to face specific effects of trauma. For example:
- Trauma tends to reduce the number of friends one has, and this effect is more pronounced in women.
- Women are more likely to report never or rarely being helped after experiencing trauma.
- They are more likely to seek out social support following trauma, and not receiving this support tends to impact them more negatively.
For more information about how trauma can differentially impact men and women, I recommend this article and this article.
Why is this knowledge necessary?
It shows the importance of fostering community in your ministry. A strong community can make a world of difference for anyone in your group who has or is facing trauma.
A second aspect of growing in knowledge for your trauma-informed women’s ministry is to gather some referral sources that can be particularly helpful for women.
I recommend searching for local nonprofits and ministries that can support women who have faced intimate partner violence or sexual violence, such as shelters or therapy groups. Reach out to the individuals who run them and take the time to build a relationship with these groups, vetting them thoroughly. Then, if you need to refer someone to them, you will know the woman is in good hands and can reassure her that you trust this resource.
For Catholic healing resources, check out this page on our website.
The Reversal of Trauma Principle in Trauma-Informed Women’s Ministry
One aspect of trauma can be a loss of control, and this is especially the case for the types of trauma women are more likely to experience. Allowing women to have control can help them feel safe and empowered, which is essential on their healing journey.
One way to promote feelings of control and empowerment in your ministry is to recognize the gifts of the women you serve and provide them with opportunities to use these gifts to help run your ministry. You can also connect them with other places where they can use their unique gifts to serve others.
Additionally, as we saw above, community can make or break a woman’s healing journey after trauma. Your ministry may be the place where women seek social support after experiencing trauma, so intentionally fostering a sense of community is crucial.
You can intentionally foster community through activities such as shared meals, group outings, sharing personal stories, praying together, participating in group service projects, celebrating life’s significant moments, ensuring everyone feels included, and offering support during challenging times. These simple things will not only allow your ministry to thrive but can be a big part of a woman’s healing journey.
The Resilience Principle in Trauma-Informed Women’s Ministry
As we discuss elsewhere on this site, resilience is an ability that, in part, helps people find healing.
Five categories of habits help foster resilience:
- Mental Health: Knowing the truth and healing from the lies we have come to believe
- Physical Health: Caring for our bodies and investing in our community
- Spiritual Health: Prayer and regular reception of the Sacraments
- Virtue: Intentionally striving to grow in virtue and fast
- Vocation: Investing in our state-in-life vocations and other callings God gives us.
Because men and women are different, we have unique habits and practices that can best support our resilience. I recommend checking out this article for ways that women can especially foster their resilience.
As a ministry, you can help women grow in resilience by engaging in activities that build it. Here are some ideas based on this article:
- Learning about your hormones and cycles, and how to support them together, so you can grow in physical health.
- Learning more about the feminine genius and holding each other accountable for growing in those virtues
- Emphasizing the Blessed Sacrament in your ministry, such as attending adoration and Mass together. St. Edith Stein writes that regular visits to the Blessed Sacrament are crucial for women.
In these and other ways, you can help all women in your ministry thrive while also assisting those who have faced trauma on their healing journey.
Conclusion
Women’s ministries are in a prime position to help support women who have faced trauma. By providing a thriving community, building resilience together, and being aware of healing resources for some of the issues women are more likely to face, your ministry can truly help women encounter Christ’s healing love.