In this episode of Trauma Informed Conversations, Carrie speaks with journalist, Churchill Fellow and TEDx speaker Sophia Alexandra Hall about what it means to tell stories with care-experienced people rather than about them.

Drawing on her own journey from care into journalism, Sophia explains the three roles the media often forces under-represented communities into: tragic victim, dangerous threat, or inspirational exception. She describes how these narrow narratives can dehumanise and retraumatise people, and how her experiences as both an interviewee and Deputy Digital Editor at The Big Issue inspired her to create a trauma-informed storytelling toolkit.

Carrie and Sophia explore how journalism, research, education and practice can shift towards safer and more collaborative storytelling that gives people greater control over their narratives. This episode forms part of our mini-series on trauma and healing in the care system, led by care-experienced voices.

In This Episode, We Explore

• How Sophia moved into journalism through campaigning against SI 445 and the importance of making complex information accessible.
• The impact of seeing limiting statistics about care leavers.
• The three restrictive media boxes: tragic victim, dangerous threat and inspirational exception.
• Highlights from Sophia’s Churchill Fellowship, including meeting care-experienced people in LA and learning from trauma specialists.
• The idea of the disempowered interviewee and how power and choice can quietly be removed.
• Practical trauma-informed approaches, including choosing when to share your story, and ways journalists and practitioners can work more collaboratively, such as commissioning lived-experience writing.
• A hopeful look at the online care-experienced community and how we can all support stories told in people’s own words.

About Our Guest

Sophia Alexandra Hall is a care-experienced journalist and Deputy Digital Editor at The Big Issue. She reviews papers for Sky News, studied at the University of Oxford, is a TEDx speaker and is a Churchill Fellow focused on trauma-informed storytelling. She works to challenge harmful media narratives and promote ethical, consent-led storytelling. She is online as @SophiasSocials.

Content Note

This episode discusses childhood trauma, care experience, media portrayals and retraumatisation. Please listen in a way that feels safe for you.

Learn More with TICS

This conversation reflects the work we do at Trauma Informed Consultancy Services, supporting organisations and communities to move from trauma-aware to trauma-responsive practice.

You may be interested in:

• Trauma-Informed Research with Care-Experienced People
• Trauma-Informed Record Keeping
• Bespoke consultancy to embed trauma-informed principles into strategy and participation

Find details at ticservicesltd.com or contact lyndsay@ticservicesltd.com

Send us Fan Mail

Subscribe to Trauma Informed Conversations for more honest discussions about trauma, recovery, and building systems rooted in care and humanity.