A Toxic Culture Disguised as Trauma-Informed Care
Pros
You get to meet some amazing clients. Frontline staff are supportive and caring.
Cons
This organisation presents itself as a safe space for women dealing with trauma, but the internal reality for staff is far from supportive. Many employees, often with lived experience themselves, are placed under immense pressure in an emotionally toxic environment. One manager in particular fosters a cycle of passive-aggressive behaviour and manipulation, trapping well-meaning staff in a harmful dynamic where genuine dedication is met with control sabotage and humiliation. The organisation’s trauma-informed approach is surface-level and lacks the structural depth—such as clear boundaries, clinical supervision, and psychologically informed practices—that are essential in this field. As a result, frontline staff are unsupported, overwhelmed, and often left to manage complex cases without the tools or guidance they need. This leads to high stress, burnout, and enabling patterns with clients rather than meaningful support. Raising concerns through HR is futile. Staff are often gaslit and made to feel as though they are the problem. Even when people leave due to bullying or unsustainable pressure, the narrative is spun to suggest they simply "didn't look after their wellbeing," rather than acknowledging the systemic issues driving people out. While the work itself can be meaningful, the organisation’s failure to care for its own people—especially those it claims to champion—makes this a deeply disappointing and harmful place to work. That being said, many of the frontline staff work incredibly hard to not only support clients, but also eachother. Without this, I would have left much sooner. Not recommended for anyone seeking genuine trauma-informed practice or a psychologically safe workplace.
