HopSkipDrive Riders
HopSkipDrive is a service for anyone that needs a little extra care. This means we provide rides for individuals with special needs, individuals with disabilities, youth in foster care, or senior citizens. Some riders have experienced trauma, so let's take a few moments to learn about trauma, how it effects people, and what you can do to best support your riders.
What is trauma?
Trauma is an umbrella term used to describe the inability of an individual or a community to respond in a healthy way (physically, emotionally, and mentally) to acute or chronic stress. Skip below to the section below titled "How to support ..." to see a list of pro tips on how to respond to riders that may require Trauma-Informed Care (TIC).
Complex Trauma
is multiple traumatic events, often that occur within a caregiving system that is supposed to be the source of safety and stability in a child's life. This type of trauma usually begins early in a child's life and can cause developmental disruption.Types of complex trauma include abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction and are usually inflicted by a parent, teacher, relative, or someone with a close relationship to the child. These types of trauma that occur in childhood are often called Adverse Childhood Experiences or ACEs.
Sadly, this type of trauma is fairly common with about 51.2% of females and 48.8% of males experiencing some type of ACE during childhood.
ACEs can have lasting effects on health, behavior, and life potential.
Responses to Trauma
Behavioral responses as a result of trauma can seem confusing to someone who does not understand where the behavior is coming from, or why it is happening. The information below will provide further insight into why these behaviors occur, and how they might appear.
Acute Trauma Response (ATR), also called acute stress disorder, psychological shock, mental shock, or simply shock, is a response to a terrifying or traumatic event or witnessing an event that brings on a strong emotional response. This strong emotional response is often referred to as fight, flight, or freeze. These reactions are involuntary, and can appear as panic, confusion, dissociation, insomnia, suspiciousness, a lack of self care, or loss of production at school or work.
Traumatic Stress is an overwhelming experience that involves a threat, or perceived threat, that results in a feeling of vulnerability, loss of control, helplessness and fearfulness.
Victims of trauma can develop behaviors as a way to survive extreme psychological stress in a hostile environment. These survival behaviors may be the fight, flight, or freeze response, and can occur in non-threatening environments as a method of coping with anxiety. These behaviors can be triggered by anything, even something that you may perceive as safe and nurturing. Triggers include seeing, feeling, or hearing something that reminds the trauma victim of past experiences. The triggered response is involuntary.
How to support riders that may require Trauma-Informed Care (TIC)!
Now that you have some knowledge of trauma and how it effects people, here are some tips on how to best support riders and deliver each ride safely.
- Re-frame your thinking if you are experiencing challenging behaviors on a ride. Practice empathy and consider "What happened to you?" rather than "What's wrong with you?"
- Words matter! It matters what you say, but even more so, how you say it! Be mindful of your attitude and your tone of voice.
- Always remain calm in stressful situations.
- It is ok to set limits in your vehicle with the purpose of teaching, not punishing. For instance, if a rider is refusing to put on a seatbelt, do not engage in back and forth arguments. You may say something like "If you do not put on your seatbelt, I won't be able to start the car and get you home safely. What would you like to do?"
- Create a safe space in your vehicle! Be a good listener, give praise, and be mindful of the questions you ask riders, especially around situations or holidays that involve family (Mother's Day, Father's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.)
Do's and Dont's!
Do!
- Provide positive reinforcement for good behavior
- Listen without judgment
- If you regularly drive a particular passenger and know you won't be completing their upcoming ride, let the rider know that another driver will be there to pick them up
- Be aware of boundaries- physical and verbal
- Call Support if you need assistance (844) HOP-SKIP
- As a CareDriver, you should report any suspicion of child abuse or neglect to authorities and then follow up with HopSkipDrive. Please follow the link here for more information.
Don't!
- Engage in back-and-forth arguments
- Text inappropriate words, phrases, or emojis to the rider or ride organizer
- Don't make assumptions about a rider's experiences or behaviors