Sarah Lisa Subhan, in fulfilling the requirements for a PhD in Counselor Education & Supervision, Antioch University Seattle, has written and published a dissertation titled, Reimagining Care: Experiences of Trauma-Informed Approaches and Deinstitutionalization in Caribbean Child Welfare.
Subhan conducts a qualitative study with 21 professionals across child protection and care agencies in Trinidad and Tobago. Through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis, she maps how trauma-informed practice operates within Caribbean systems shaped by colonial legacies, resource constraints, and organizational culture. Findings call for targeted training and capacity-building for frontline staff and leadership; clearer, system-level supports to implement trauma-informed principles; and policies that prioritize family preservation as a pathway to deinstitutionalization. Participants underscore the role of culture, community networks, and faith spaces in both barriers and solutions, and advocate for child-centered, sustainable interventions that strengthen families while addressing intergenerational and disaster-related trauma. Subhan translates these insights into concrete recommendations for clinicians, counselor educators, and policymakers to align services, supervision, and curricula with culturally responsive, trauma-aware care.
Subhan is a clinical psychologist, counselor educator, clinical supervisor, sandtray therapist, and mental health consultant based in Trinidad and Tobago. She partners with regional agencies to strengthen trauma-informed practices for children and families, founds the Caribbean Center for Mental Health Training and Education, contributes to media on public mental health, and provides court-ordered evaluations and supervision grounded in person-centered, neurobiological, and strengths-based approaches.
Read and download Subhan’s dissertation, Reimagining Care: Experiences of Trauma-Informed Approaches and Deinstitutionalization in Caribbean Child Welfare, here.
