The Trauma-Informed Scripts tool is a practical language guide designed to help practitioners reduce shame, restore agency, and build emotional safety during high-stakes coaching conversations. In Family-Centered Coaching—especially when discussing benefit cliffs, income reporting, or financial risk—word choice matters. This resource provides side-by-side examples of judgment-based language versus curiosity-based alternatives, along with scripts for panic, freeze, shame, fear of reporting income, and moments when participants feel unable to engage with numbers. It also includes power phrases to reinforce safety and belonging, guidance for regulating the space, and self-reflection prompts to help practitioners remain grounded and aligned with trauma-informed principles.
How to Use This Tool: Use these scripts as a preparation guide before sessions, a quick-reference during emotionally charged moments, or a reflective practice afterward. Select phrases that align with the participant’s current emotional state—whether they are experiencing panic, shutdown, shame, or hesitation—and adapt them naturally to your voice. Focus on swapping judgment for curiosity, centering choice and control, incorporating strengths-based language, and pacing conversations to match readiness. Revisit the self-reflection prompts to ensure you are reducing shame, increasing safety, and responding with curiosity rather than assumption. This tool is designed to help practitioners communicate in ways that preserve dignity, support regulation, and strengthen participant trust.
Below is a PDF you can print, download or view full screen. See the toolbar at the top of the PDF for these various options. If you view in full screen, to get back to the normal page view, click the toggle in the toolbar at the bottom of the PDF.
BCC-Trauma-Informed-ScriptsThe Prosperity Agenda provides these resources as the designated national administrator of Family-Centered Coaching.