Past NCAPPS Webinars


Trauma-Informed Person-Centered Thinking and Support

Monday, November 18th 2019



To engage in person-centered practices, including person-centered planning, it is essential to see the whole person. This whole person view must include acknowledgment and consideration of a person’s life experiences, which may – and often do – include experiences of trauma. Person-centered practices and trauma-informed approaches share key values, including collaboration, mutual trust, informed choice, and empowerment. However, we lack the tools to apply trauma-informed principles to the person-centered planning process, and to intentionally engage in trauma-informed person-centered practices. This webinar will explore the intersection of trauma and person-centered thinking, planning, and practice. It will emphasize actionable steps people can take to ensure that we consider trauma when we engage in person-centered thinking, planning, and practices.

Meet the presenters


Karyn Harvey

Karyn Harvey has a Ph.D. from the University of Maryland In Applied Developmental Psychology. She has worked in the field of intellectual disabilities as a psychologist for over 30 years and has published 2 books on the topic. Her third book, Trauma and Healing, will be coming out in the beginning of 2020.

Cathy Cave

Cathy Cave, a founding partner of Inspired Vision, LLC, has over 30 years of experience in culture, inclusion and disparities elimination, trauma-informed services and supports, peer support, and strength-based approaches. She uses her survivor, family, community, provider and administrative perspectives to facilitate organizational change at local, state and national levels.

Tanya M. Richmond

Tanya M. Richmond, MSW, LCSW, a partner with Support Development Associates, has over 30 years of experience working as a licensed clinical social worker. She has diverse expertise in direct practice and has directed programmatic and evaluative agencies in community service agencies, community college, and Research One University settings.

Aimee Ortiz-Day

Aimee Ortiz-Day is the mother of two teenagers who are adventurous, funny, kind and have a disability. She joined the Center on Disability and Development at Texas A&M University in 2014 and manages several programs that support person centered practices, increase self-advocacy and promote the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in their communities.

Michael Smull

Michael Smull has been working with people with disabilities since 1972. Michael is the Chair of The Learning Community for Person Centered Practices (TLC-PCP) and a senior partner in Support Development Associates (SDA). He is the co-developer of Essential Lifestyle Planning and has worked in 48 states and eight countries. He has helped people leave institutions in the US and the UK.

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