Validate
Whakamana Tangata i Whara
Validation through Education
Providing trauma-informed education and consultancy for individuals, whānau, organisations and communities.
Validate Whakamana Tangata i Whara
Our Whakapapa: our story
Validate Whakamana tangata i whara means ‘validating and restoring mana to those who have been harmed’.
Everyone who has experienced trauma deserves support which comes from an educated and informed position: a response that validates rather than violates, heals rather than harms and which restores rather than ravages their mana, their sense of self, their wellbeing. As three women with lived experience of trauma and its impacts, we know both personally and professionally that those who experience trauma, specifically interpersonal trauma, often face an absence of appropriate education, support, compassion and care to manage the impact of their trauma and their healing journey.
Validate Whakamana tangata i whara is born from a need to do things differently. Collectively we are a trio of mental health professionals, having worked extensively in mental health and social services, with a significant portion of that providing clinical and lived-experience-led psychoeducation. We are all driven by the need to make trauma-informed responses the ‘norm’ rather than the exception.
We recognise that there is a unique opportunity to provide trauma education which is based in the whenua of Aotearaoa: education which acknowledges the wider context and histories of Aotearaoa and education which comes from personal lived experience narratives, combined with research and best practice rather than just from academic learnings.
Validate Whakamana tangata i whara is our dream, our baby, our passion - built from a deep desire to ensure there is trauma-informed, safe and uplifting support for people who have experienced trauma and a roadmap for recovery.
Subheading
Body
Validate Co-founders
Tēnā koutou katoa. Ko Kurahaupo toku waka, Ko Taranaki toku maunga, Ko Oakura toku awa, Ko Taranaki ko Ngāti Pākehā ōku iwi, Ko Ngati Tairi toku hapu, Ko Okorotua toku Marae, Ko Renee McDermott toku ingoa.
I have worked in the mental health sector for more than 20 years. Over the years I have held a variety of roles, including systematic advocacy, management of peer mental health services, supervision, workshop development and consulting with people who experience mental illness and their families. I also bring lived experience of Post-Traumatic Stress and recovery to my work which I believe brings a unique insight, passion and motivation for this mahi.
I have a Bachelor of Science (Psychology) and a certificate in Māori studies. I’m a qualified mental health supervisor and registered Early Childhood Teacher. I have a particular interest in the wellbeing of tamariki and taihoi who have experienced trauma during their life span. Currently I work as an independent contractor providing mental health education for a wide range of mental health literacy programmes, including Trauma Informed Care in Practice.
Tēnā koutou katoa, No Kotira taku whanau, He reanga tuatahi ahau no Aotearoa, Ko Maungatautari toku maunga, Ko Waikato toku awa, Ko Moira Crispe toku ingoa.
I have a deep passion for trauma informed care which has been shaped by theoretical learning, practice-based experience, and lived experience. As a social worker, my practice experience began in 2008 when I became part of two trauma informed pilots in the mental health sector. One had a focus on individual and trauma which required supporting people directly with an abuse and neglect in adulthood, childhood adversity and the impact of accidents. The other focused on disaster-based trauma affecting people impacted by the Christchurch earthquakes. I also did several research projects during this tenure, journeyed with a team as we developed a trauma informed approach to the services and trained staff in this area.
I have been providing psychoeducation and wellbeing training for over 20 years, across a range of mental health and wellbeing topics for those who work in health and social agencies, including specific trauma-based psychoeducation. My latest role has been working in a trauma informed community suicide prevention initiative, working as a social worker directly with tangata whaiora who have experienced complex trauma; and also working as a colleague, mentor, leader, manager, researcher, and trainer in the area of trauma informed care.
Tena koutou katoa. No Ahitereira ahau, engari kei Aotearoa toku ngaku. Ko te Whanganui-a-tara a Port Phillip Bay te awa, Ko Tangi Te Keoko a Mt Dandenong te maunga. Ko Sonja Eriksen tōku ingoa.
I have worked and taught in the mental health and wellbeing sector for over 30 years; but my passion has always been for trauma-informed education. I am a qualified nurse, clinical educator and have a lifetime of the lived experience of complex trauma. With a BSC (Nursing) and a MA (Criminal Justice and Psychology), I have worked in a number of government and non-government roles, often designing and implementing lived-experience-led national initiatives – both in workforce training and service development.
Having worked in self-harm and suicide prevention nationally supports my particular passion for the needs of people who experience dissociative disorders and somatic responses to trauma. I have acted as advisor and consultant to major mental health and wellbeing projects, including bringing a trauma-informed lens to this work. My purpose is ensuring that those who live with complex trauma are seen and heard, validated and restored.
Our workshops
Our logo: the Lotus flower
The lotus has a life cycle unlike any other plant. With its roots latched in mud, it submerges every night into river water and mud, yet miraculously re-blooms the next morning, sparklingly clean. The flower also has a determined will to live. A lotus seed can withstand thousands of years without water, able to germinate over two centuries later. It continues to resurrect itself, coming back just as beautiful as it was last seen. With such refusal to accept defeat, it's almost impossible not to associate this flower with the unwavering faith and strength that is seen time and time again as individuals, whānau and communities recover from the impacts of trauma.
Validate offers:
Online and kanohi ke te kanohi training and workshops which are based on the environment and need of the individual or organisation. Workshop content can be adapted for your particular environment.
We provide Trauma workshops across a range of levels and environments:
- Trauma Awareness in Schools (Early Childhood, Primary and Secondary)
- Trauma Awareness - Faith-based Abuse
- Trauma Awareness for Frontline government and non-government services
- Trauma Responsive Healthcare (for Primary Health professionals)
- Trauma Informed Practice
Testimonials
"Every single teacher goes to school with big hearts...if we get this right everything else will fall into place"
" I found that all of it could be applied to my role as a classroom teacher"
“I’ve been to other training around abuse, and this was the best one by far. I learnt so much”
“I just love the Validate framework - it simplifies how to respond to people who have had trauma experiences”
" The workbooks are excellent - well thought out and visually great for busy minds”
To enquire about our services contact:
info@validate-wtiw-org
Need help?
We know that reaching out for help can be scary but no one should live through the experience of trauma alone. You deserve to be supported. Below are some of the services in Aotearoa that can help if you’re needing support.
Reaching out
- 1737 Need to talk? Text or call 1737 to talk to a trained counsellor or a peer with lived experience of mental distress
- Safe to talk? Call 0800 044 344 or text 4334 to talk to a trained counsellor about sexual violence or harm
- Lifeline Call 0800 543 354 or text 4357
- Youthline Call 0800 376 633 or text 234 or email talk@youthline.co.nz
If you need immediate help call 111 or go to the nearest hospital or emergency centre.