1.1 Trauma-informed care - cornerstone of primary healthcare
Tracks
Crown Ballroom 1 & 2
| Thursday, October 23, 2025 |
| 10:30 AM - 11:00 AM |
| Crown Ballroom 1 & 2 |
Details
Format: Panel discussion (60-minute)
Speaker
Dr Jane MacLeod
Smo- Gp
Queensland Health
Trauma-informed care- cornerstone of primary healthcare
10:30 AM - 11:35 AMAbstract Overview
Trauma-informed care is one of the cornerstones of effective primary health care, alongside holistic person-centred care, inclusive care, and culturally responsive care.
Trauma-informed care is also fundamental to reducing vicarious trauma and burnout in GPs and other primary health care providers.
Trauma-informed care is controversial in some non-general practice specialties. This may be because of lack of clarity around what trauma is, or because it is important for healthcare providers to try to minimise, where possible, traumatising or re-traumatising patients.
General Practitioners, with their expertise in providing complex mental health care over time to a range of individual patients and to diverse communities, incorporate trauma-informed care into their holistic primary healthcare skills.
This session will utilise a panel of experts in trauma-informed care, as well as the expertise in the audience, to clearly define trauma, and the principles of trauma-informed care, and share knowledge, skills, so that all participants can increase their confidence working with patients who have experienced trauma and who are experiencing distress, and setting boundaries to reduce the risk of vicarious trauma and burnout.
Case-based discussions will scaffold the discussion about trauma-informed care, boundary-setting and burnout prevention.
Trauma-informed care is also fundamental to reducing vicarious trauma and burnout in GPs and other primary health care providers.
Trauma-informed care is controversial in some non-general practice specialties. This may be because of lack of clarity around what trauma is, or because it is important for healthcare providers to try to minimise, where possible, traumatising or re-traumatising patients.
General Practitioners, with their expertise in providing complex mental health care over time to a range of individual patients and to diverse communities, incorporate trauma-informed care into their holistic primary healthcare skills.
This session will utilise a panel of experts in trauma-informed care, as well as the expertise in the audience, to clearly define trauma, and the principles of trauma-informed care, and share knowledge, skills, so that all participants can increase their confidence working with patients who have experienced trauma and who are experiencing distress, and setting boundaries to reduce the risk of vicarious trauma and burnout.
Case-based discussions will scaffold the discussion about trauma-informed care, boundary-setting and burnout prevention.
Biography
Dr Jane MacLeod (they/them) is a member of LGBTQIA+ community who has a special interest in trauma-informed care.
Jane is a GP who has worked in remote Aboriginal communities. Jane has also worked with young people living in out-of-home care, people with complex trauma, people experiencing severe mental health issues and distress, as well as with people with neurodivergence, people with diverse sexualities and people with diverse genders, who tend to experience higher levels trauma.
Jane currently works as a GP in Prison Health providing comprehensive health care to people who are incarcerated. This group of patients is a marginalised population who tend to have significant trauma backgrounds.
Jane has is gender diverse and neurodivergent. Jane has a trauma background, including exposure to domestic and family violence and vicarious trauma through work as a General Practitioner.
