Trigger Warning Guidance Mentally Healthy Productions

Home / Production / Work well with vulnerable contributors and sensitive content / Trigger warning guidance and sample wording Trigger warnings are used to safeguard individuals – who may have experienced a traumatic event – from exposure to potentially triggering material in the workplace. Triggering content might include graphic references, for example, to topics such as self-harm, sexual abuse, suicide and violence. It’s good practice to issue trigger warnings trigger warnings – statements alerting people to content (such as video, imagery or text) containing material that may be upsetting or potentially cause significant distress. Close to the crew and cast before working with potentially disturbing themes. Equipping people with trigger warnings before working with potentially traumatising material allows them to prepare emotionally, or to opt out of interacting with the content.

There is a growing stigma on trigger warnings and confusion on how to write them effectively. So let’s clear some things up! I am an advocate for trigger warning when done correctly. These explanations and tips are from my perspective as a researcher, author, trauma survivor, and mental health advocate. Here are my best practices for trigger warnings. Trigger warnings are stop signs for the reader.

It tells them that rough roads are ahead and to be mindful of the crash potential. They are not arbitrary words with long winded lists. They should never contain spoilers. Trigger warnings are part of being a trauma informed writer. There are three main types of warnings: content, advisory, and trigger warnings. A content warning comes before an article, video, or work of art and alerts the audience to potentially sensitive material.

Common topics of content warnings include sexual assault, animal cruelty, self-harm, pornographic material, graphic violence, slurs, hate speech, blood, and death. For text articles, you can alert readers to certain kinds of content by writing “CW: item 1, item 2, etc.” If your piece is a podcast, video, etc., you can read out content warnings:... For example, telling readers a piece contains a transphobic slur is more informative than “slur” alone. For a lengthier piece, posting the page numbers or timestamps where the problematic content is located can also be helpful. Some organizations and individuals denounce content warnings as censorship, but this accusation is often made in bad faith. Censorship is the prohibition of a piece of media and aims to prevent its consumption.

Content warnings, meanwhile, give individuals a choice of when and how they want to interact with the work. An advisory warning signals to parents that the piece may contain content inappropriate for children or teens. Context matters. For example, a detailed sex ed article may get an advisory warning on a family-oriented health website but not on a professional pamphlet for pediatricians. A trigger warning is intended for individuals who have mental health symptoms that can be “set off.” While content warnings and trigger warnings often cover the same subject matter, a trigger warning may address... For example, the average content warning wouldn’t warn people about gunshot sounds.

But a counselor for veterans may include a trigger warning before sharing a video about gun safety, as the sound of a gun firing could cause an individual with PTSD to experience flashbacks. A trigger warning allows the individual to mentally prepare for the trigger or to delay engagement with the material until they are emotionally ready. See the full list of all our guides and templates below for an overview of our Toolkit’s content. Our get started guides outline key actions to help improve working environments and support the creation of mentally healthy productions. Our how to guides provide important context in areas of mental health, HR, legal requirements, and health and safety. They include editable templates and examples to use on your productions.

You’ll also find video case studies as well as additional resources from the Film and TV Charity, and other organisations, throughout our guide pages. A content warning (or trigger warning) is a notice about potentially sensitive content. It gives people with mental health triggers or past trauma a way to either prepare themselves or opt out if the content is too much for them. It’s like in the movie industry when something comes up as “rated R for violence and language”—the warning gives you a sense of what is coming and whether it’s for you. This is not an all-inclusive list, but typically, you’ll want to include a content warning if your book includes things like: This includes both when you depict those things on page and when they are backstory or character fears (or otherwise internalized).

For example, if you have a character who is anxious about dying and thinks about it often, even if there is no death on page, you may want to include something like “death anxiety.” Including a content warning for violence may be helpful. But including a more specific warning like “domestic physical abuse” or “police violence” is often more helpful. Some people can watch Die Hard, no problem, but want to avoid depictions of domestic abuse, child abuse, or police violence because of their individual backgrounds or traumas.

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