Why healthcare needs trauma education | Susanna Petche | #049 Mastering Change

So much of what happens in healthcare is shaped by trauma – yet most clinicians are never taught what trauma is or how to recognise it in themselves or their patients. 

This week on Mastering Change, we speak with Susanna Petche, a GP with 25 years’ experience, who shares how her own misdiagnosed depression eventually revealed an underlying trauma response. That realisation changed her life – and her medical practice. 

Susanna reflects on the reality that trauma is everywhere in the healthcare system: in people’s symptoms, in their behaviour and in the overwhelm that brings them to a GP or hospital. However, doctors receive no formal education about trauma, no supervision and little support in navigating the emotional impact of their work. 

She shows how much difference simple, trauma-aware tools can make – from acknowledging how frightening a hospital environment can be, to helping patients regulate their nervous systems in moments of stress. Small shifts like this, she argues, can meaningfully improve care long before large-scale system change becomes possible. 

We discuss  

• Why trauma underpins so many physical and mental health presentations 
• How the lack of trauma training leaves clinicians without essential tools 
• Why simple, everyday interventions can improve patient safety and connection 
• What genuine practitioner wellbeing requires - beyond slogans about resilience 
• How AI could support care if implemented with sensitivity 
• Why even one hour of trauma education could transform healthcare 

Moment of Care: This episode discusses sensitive episodes related to trauma, mental health and potential distressing experiences. If you feel triggered at any point, please take a moment to check in with yourself and seek support. 

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