Trauma-Informed Movement: Creating Safe and Supportive Fitness Experiences

Trauma isn’t just about what happened to someone — it’s about how their body and nervous system respond to those experiences. While health and fitness professionals are not therapists, we can recognize how trauma may show up in movement spaces and learn strategies to foster safety, choice, and empowerment.

In this course, led by Jacque Crockford, DHSc, you’ll gain a clear understanding of what trauma is (and what it isn’t), how it can affect the nervous system, and how signs of dysregulation may appear within a fitness setting. You’ll also practice simple, trauma-informed techniques — such as grounding, breath awareness, and movement strategies — that you can immediately integrate into your sessions.

Through approachable examples and guided activities, you’ll leave with the knowledge and skills to design fitness experiences that prioritize safety and autonomy, all while staying firmly within your professional scope of practice.

Upon completion, you will be able to:

• Define trauma and differentiate it from stress and diagnosable mental health conditions.
• Recognize common signs of nervous system dysregulation within a fitness setting.
• Practice and apply trauma-informed grounding, breath, and movement techniques to support client regulation.
• Design fitness and movement experiences that promote safety, autonomy, and empowerment for all clients.