TRS founder, Jordanna Saunders, was born and raised on the Navajo reservation in New Mexico, where her family still resides. Her background in community and tribal mental health work solidified her passion for working with youth. Coming from a holistic, traditional Navajo background, she believes that teens and families can benefit greatly from trauma therapy provided by properly informed practitioners. 

 

Growing up in a tribal community that has been negatively impacted by genocide and systemic historical trauma, Jordanna experienced first-hand what happens when emotional healing and trauma reconciliation isn’t implemented in communities of color in a sustainable manner.

 

Due to complex conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, and anxiety, Indigenous populations and people from underserved communities experience significantly shortened life spans, and reduced quality of life. Indigenous women experience violence at much higher rates than non-Indigenous women and often deal with little to no professional support leading to alarming mental health statistics and death rates. 

 

For these important reasons, TRSAZ focuses on greatly improving access to trauma-informed mental health services utilizing technology in affected communities.