Community Q&A: Turner, Walla Walla nonprofit help people heal trauma

For the past two decades, the Walla Walla Community Resilience Initiative has led efforts to help reduce the effects of adverse childhood experiences.

The nonprofit conducts science-based trainings to help individuals heal from trauma and other adverse experiences they may have encountered, such as racism, sexism and classism.

Rebeckah Turner, the director of community engagement, recently answered questions from the Union-Bulletin for a Community Q&A discussing the organization's work and how it supports the Walla Walla community.

Describe the work the Community Resilience Initiative does.

We are a nonprofit, and we largely provide professional development training. If an organization is interested in trauma-informed practices, it can contract us to host a conference. I come in and conduct a few hours of training on how to adopt trauma-informed frameworks. That is the basis of the work that we do.

What is a trauma-informed framework?

Back in 1997, there was a seminal study known as the ACE study - Adverse Childhood Experiences - which found there were 10 different things that could happen to people before the age of 18 that directly affected whether they would develop risky health behaviors or chronic disease leading to early death.

A lot of the work I do involves informing people about the ACE study - that there are manifestations of trauma that directly result in a public health crisis, and that, as a community, we can help reduce their potency. Through developing individual and community-based resilience, we can reduce the likelihood of early death.

A trauma-informed framework includes policies and procedures intended to avoid re-traumatizing someone. In a case-management setting, that might look like having someone come in for an intake appointment, where they tell their story and revisit the things that happened to them and why they are there. If that case manager changes, it is important to leave appropriate case notes and provide a warm handoff to the next practitioner so that person is not re-traumatized by having to tell their story again.

One policy recommendation I would make is to ensure that notes are kept and that warm handoffs are provided.

How does the organization help individuals heal from trauma?

I host a community of practice, which is an open call for anyone interested in learning more about trauma and resilience. Anyone in the community is welcome to participate.

In addition, I work one-on-one with various nonprofits and organizations in the community, encouraging them to adopt trauma-informed frameworks, policies and procedures. If an organization is providing direct services to people in need, that is likely an area where I can assist.

What other community engagement work do you do?

I work with a community-based coalition called the Walla Walla Community Change Team. They are part of a trauma-informed, recovery-oriented system of care, so we help people recognize that recovery is possible and that just as trauma has links to addiction, resilience has links to recovery.

In that coalition, we have found over the years that the thing that resonates most with the population is hearing stories of recovery told by people in recovery through art. So we host an annual arts event at Whitman College called Together.

The Community Resilience Initiative is also examining climate change at the local level - what can we do as a community to position ourselves to thrive in a changing environment? That could mean starting neighborhood coalitions, encouraging different plant or garden recommendations based on what thrives in hotter temperatures or discussing water conservation techniques.

How would you describe the significance of resolving trauma?

It is huge. It adds not only years to a person's life, but also increases the quality of those years.

It is not just about resolving individual trauma. The idea is that if enough people are doing that work, entire communities are able to heal. You end up with communities that live longer, are more interconnected, more reliable and more reliant on one another. Ultimately, it increases the satisfaction people feel within their community and within their families. It is a major public health issue.

How can people connect with the organization?

People can contact me at rebeckah@criresilient.org or through our general inbox at info@criresilient.org.

I would encourage people to reach out in any capacity they would like, especially within this community. We are very loyal to the residents who have supported us for nearly 20 years.

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This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 10:08 PM.