“Just because you’re the survivor doesn’t make you the expert.” This was said to me by a counsellor working in the SV sector after she’d heard me talk about my work. I realised pretty quickly that she seemed uncomfortable about survivor-led approaches - as if my perspective might undermine hers in some way. We were able to have a conversation that I hope reassured her - because I do actually agree. I don’t believe anyone can claim to be the ‘expert’ when it comes to supporting survivors. I believe in the value of different perspectives shaped by those with a wide range of life experiences. I believe that clinging rigidly to the status quo risks complacency, and inhibits growth and self-reflection. ‘I am the expert’ is where harm creeps in. There is one exception though. I, like all survivors - am the expert of myself. It took me a long time to realise that, and to reclaim the autonomy that had been stripped away by those who assumed their qualification made them the expert of me. Poem below one of many about the phrase ‘trauma informed’ - and what trauma informed looks like to me, having been on the receiving end of many so called approaches that caused harm, and one that changed my life for the better. This one is documented in The Flying Child - A Cautionary Fairy Tale for Adults. amzn.eu/d/7SOK0v3 #TheFlyingChildStory #traumainformedcare #traumaresponsive #nothingaboutuswithoutus #csa